


Forever Phoenixes

by kittyface27



Series: Dragon Works [9]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Cinderella AU, Deceit, Dragon Character, Drama, Fantasy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Magic, Marco x Ace, No Smut, Phoenixes, Prince Marco, Romance, Royalty, adorable together, child abuse and neglect, dragon companion, keeping a secret from everybody, poor ace, self worth issues, very light vivi and nami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 73,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27704477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyface27/pseuds/kittyface27
Summary: When Ace finally meets the only other phoenix he knows about, Prince Marco, he's surprised with the outcome. That somebody loved him. Somebody cared about him as he was abused in a home with his evil step-family. But when Marco comes into his life full force, things aren't that terrible anymore. Who knew two phoenixes were in the same area, and would fall madly in love?
Relationships: Ace & a Dragon, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Izou, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Thatch, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Whitebeard Pirates, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Marco & Vivi, Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Portgas D. Ace & Alvida
Series: Dragon Works [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982363
Comments: 37
Kudos: 102





	1. Unexpected Encounter

**Fantasy sorta-Cinderella au. Like that in the beginning, but Ace isn't useless and takes everything laying down.** **Phoenixes** **, dragons, magic. It was fun to write this one. No smut in this one. I have so many crossovers and a bunch of unedited ones that aren't crossovers, so I don't know what I'll post next when that time comes after my ASL Reset fic is over. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Mommy, I want to fly," Ace said, sitting in his mother's lap, four years old and cute beyond belief. Rouge looked surprised and asked her young child what he meant. Why would he say that? "Cause I want to. I want to fly like the birds."

She smiled and said that flying did indeed sound fun, but humans couldn't fly. It would be impossible. Ace looked deeply confused. He knew he could fly, he knew it. He knew he could grow wings, he was absolutely sure of it. He knew he'd be fine.

"But, I know I can fly!" Ace insisted, teary eyes as he was being denied something he wanted desperately. He itched to be in the sky. Rouge booped his nose with a finger and said that humans can't fly, but that he could dream about it. Ace started crying.

"Baby, there's no need to cry," Rouge said kindly, hugging him. Ace exclaimed that she was mean, startling the mother. How was she being mean? She asked why he thought she was mean, and he exclaimed that he was a bird and mommy wouldn't let him fly. Rouge started to grow suspicious that something was wrong.

She asked why he thought he was a bird when he was in a human body. "C-Cause I am! I want to fly, mommy!" Ace cried hysterically. Rouge sighed quietly and smiled, saying they could go outside and attempt for him to fly, knowing it would be impossible and he'd be even more upset when he failed.

He stopped crying and hurried to the shoes and put them on and ran outside. Rouge put on her own shoes and followed him out to the front lawn. They lived in a very nice manor, which was in their family for generations. Rouge sat on the bench and watched Ace get a running start, enjoying seeing her son run around and imagine flying.

But then his arms turned into fiery wings and he took off and into the sky, squealing. Rouge's face turned white and into an expression of horror. Ace was a phoenix born. The only one in the kingdom besides the prince Marco.

They couldn't let it be known, no matter what. She would protect him and the truth no matter what. He was her precious baby, he wouldn't be hurt or targeted for what he was. She and Roger would keep him safe and well. Perhaps unhappy, but anything for his safety.

-x-

The sky was gray that day, rain approaching soon. He was glad he wouldn't have to go out that day to work on things. Step-bitch didn't like him bringing mud back inside. He didn't care if he got mud on the carpet anymore. He didn't treasure this house like his parents did. He treasured the memories of the better days, but he could have those memories without living in this house.

But he had nowhere else to go. Nobody would accept him once knowing what he really was, if it ever got out. Not everybody was the king, who loved his phoenix son regardless. Sure, his mom and dad loved him, but they kept him a secret.

He knew why, but they suppressed his other self tightly. He was never allowed to learn how to really fly. Never allowed to learn to use his talons. Never allowed to be himself. He loved them, but was also bitter. He missed them dearly, but still. He couldn't help the anger, the pain he felt of his parents not letting him be himself, even if they were not near any other people and their property was more than big enough for him to fly around at.

He raised his hand, trying to let his fire out. To see the beautiful flames that had stopped appearing years ago. He was just a normal human. They didn't even work to heal him from injuries. He was useless. After years of being told nobody could know, his phoenix hid away. Hopefully not permanently, but he couldn't coax his flames out.

It sucked, and he wished things were different. That he wouldn't be injured by stupid Stelly and Mikata. He wanted to hurt them every day. Wanted to break them apart. He knew it was messed up to think like that, and that his mom would be horrified by the thoughts, but he couldn't help it. They made him hate his life there.

They took his bedroom away, ripped apart photos of his family that he hadn't hidden away under the floorboards. Life was terrible. His hopes would never come true. He'd never meet Marco, he was lowly and dirty. He'd never meet another phoenix. But he probably wouldn't believe Ace even if he told him. After all, Ace couldn't bring his flames out when he wanted to, desperately. He wanted to be himself, and that part of him was gone. God, he hoped it was temporary.

When his stomach growled, he got dressed and went downstairs, down the spiral staircase that led to his attic room. Fuck Stelly for taking his room. He hated him with a passion, that ugly, stuck up piece of shit. But he never said any of that. It just wasn't worth the trouble. At least he felt good whenever he spit in his food. But it would be much more satisfying to punch his lights out.

He entered the kitchen and made his own breakfast. He wasn't cooking for them today. They could make their own food. He didn't care if he was punished for it. He was coming dangerously close to mutiny. Dangerously close to ruining everything they had. Tearing everything to shreds like they had his belongings and happiness.

Setting fire to everything special to them, and then running away. But he was waiting until his phoenix came back so he could flee long distances that way. He wasn't stupid, he knew he could be followed if he messed things up. Well, whatever. He'd ruin them someday and looked forward to it.

He was going to the living area to eat when Stelly was there, and went to knock his plate down. Ace was not in a good mood. He blocked the arm and twisted it around painfully. Stelly shouted about it and Ace let him go, little wimp. He tried to trip Ace, who slammed his booted foot down on his toes.

"Mother! Ace is hurting me!" Stelly shouted. Step"mother" didn't come out at first until Stelly continued to scream, even though he was a teenager. Ace was 17, and Stelly was 16. He was so wimpy for his age, crying to manipulate Alvida, the bitch of a step mother. What did his father ever see in her?

It made him sick, that he went from someone as loving as Rouge to this bitch. Ace went to the couch and scarfed down his food before taking it back to the kitchen. He touched the corner and was hit in the face with a club, one of the weapons Alvida planted around the house. Ace stumbled and moaned at the bloody cut on his face. He glared at her before he walked up to her and lost his cool, yanking the club out of her hands and throwing it upwards and embedding it into the ceiling. She was shocked.

He was _really_ not having a good day, worse than usual, and was taking it out on them. Then he remembered why he was so angry. It was Rouge's birthday. How could he have forgotten? "I'm not in the mood for your _bullshit!"_ he roared in her face. She was utterly baffled.

He knew he was in trouble, and it would come back to bite him in the ass, but he didn't care for now. He left, putting cloak on in the rain and going to the stables to get Chopper, his white horse, and rode away. It was pouring, but felt nice. Better than being inside that stuffy house he'd grown to hate. All because of those that occupied it now.

He made it through the forest and out into the field before his narcolepsy struck, against him completely as he fell off of Chopper and hit the muddy ground hard, completely passed out and snoring. Chopper was anxious and stood near him, trying to wake him. He was a very loyal horse, and had been his since he was young.

He didn't know anyone was around and woke up in his stupid house, not remembering how he got there in the first place. He had been in the field, so who had taken him back in the first place? And Chopper was back in the stables as well. What had happened?

-x-

Marco was probably being stupid, going out on his own on Stefan, going against the guard's wishes. He didn't care, he needed a break from the castle, from everyone. Pops had told him he had to get married soon, and he was angry. He was perfectly happy being single, but there was another reason he didn't want a wife.

Only Thatch and Izo knew the reason, as Marco didn't know how everybody would react to his preferences. He knew he wouldn't get to be with who he wanted, and that hurt beyond belief. It wasn't right to pretend to love someone when he didn't, which was what he'd have to do when he was married to a woman.

He would feel guilty and depressed all the time. He didn't want a kid with someone he didn't love. He wanted to adopt, but it just wasn't how things worked, and he knew that. Everyone did. Thatch and Izo pitied him deeply, and he wasn't upset about that. He pitied himself as well. He rode deep into the forest and to an open field when he saw a single white horse like Stefan pacing in what was clearly anxiety.

Then Marco saw what it was in front of. It was a body! He dropped off of his horse and ran over to the man collapsed in the mud completely. He turned him over and saw he was asleep, covered from head to toe in mud and grass. Marco had no idea how he'd fallen asleep here. He must have been extremely exhausted.

He couldn't just leave him in the mud and pouring rain. So he picked him up, not caring about the mud that now stained his own expensive clothing. He didn't care, this man, seeming in his late teens, might be hurt, so he draped him over his horse, gently pulling the harness to his own horse. It was nervous, but followed Marco.

The prince didn't know where to take him, so he just followed the horse prints in the mud. He must have passed out pretty recently if the horse tracks were still visible. He followed them into the forest, which was much dryer thanks to the thick canopy of leaves above them. The horses walked slowly until they arrived at a nice looking home.

Many stories and quite large. It looked nice and cozy. He hoped there were people home to confirm if this man lived there. He brought them to the front porch, and took the teen off of the horse and walked to the front door. Both of them were covered in mud still. Especially the teen, who was still snoring.

He knocked on the door, which opened to show a black haired woman, who looked shocked. Marco was clearly the prince, easily recognizable even covered in mud and grass. "Excuse me miss, but does this man live here?" he asked. He frowned when the woman was clearly debating whether to accept him or not.

She finally settled on the truth and affirmed that he lived there. The mud on his clothes had dripped off and wasn't so thick thanks to the pouring rain, so he wouldn't track it in too badly. He asked if he could bring him to the couch so she didn't need to dirty her clothes. "Ah, that's not necessarily your highness," she stuttered, nervous in front of the prince.

Marco asked where he could put him. "The floor here is just fine." He didn't really like this, putting him on the cold tile, but he did as she said. He took off his boots, though, and put them outside and on the front steps. He was about to turn around when he saw something shocking. Just barely, a small burst of red flame was on his shoulder before it disappeared.

He stared at the teen for a good minute, making the woman uncomfortable, before he shook his head and turned around, knowing it was impossible. There couldn't be two phoenixes so close together. It just wasn't possible. He had gotten his hopes up, and it hurt for them to come crashing down, even if it had only been for a few seconds.

The white horse had made its way back to the stables, and Marco went back to Stefan, getting back on and riding home, wondering how he'd fallen asleep in such a place. He laughed at it, surprised he was able to laugh at all right now. It was too bad he slept the whole time, he was very curious.

Perhaps it was a medical condition, who knows? He went back to the castle in a better mood, glad to have helped someone himself. Not with his guards or an order. Just showing an act of kindness, even if it got his outfit muddy. Oh well. He was sure Thatch would think it was funny.

-x-

Ace woke up on the floor, soaking wet. He sat up, and got a kick to the side immediately. He rubbed his eyes, standing up and ignoring Alvida. He stood up, finding he was barfoot and muddy. He could have sworn he was on Chopper, but now he was back home? He looked to the side at a livid Alvida.

"Do you realize what you've done?!" she roared, especially angry. Ace frowned and asked what had pissed her off so badly? "You fell asleep and prince Marco brought you back, covered in mud! You've humiliated all of us!"

Ace's eyes widened. He'd been with prince Marco and wasn't even awake when it happened? He put his face in his hands in disappointment. Alvida assumed he was doing that for a different reason. He looked down and saw the dirty water that had leaked onto the tile floor. He was ordered to clean the house as punishment.

He did so, grudgingly, his defiant attitude gone. He felt stupid. He couldn't help his narcolepsy. Sleep attacks happened when they wanted to and there was nothing he could do about it. They were embarrassing, and his step family always made fun of him for it. It was a topic that was a sore spot for him, as he agreed that he was stupid for having them.

The house was clean already, but he dusted and swept mostly. Once he was done, already changed with the muddy clothes to be washed later, he went to his room to mope. He saw the photo of Marco on the floor and looked at it, angry at himself.

Embarrassed beyond belief, too. There was no way he could ever meet him again, now, without feeling absolutely humiliated. He sat on his bed and curled up into a ball, feeling worthless and stupid. He was useless and a waste of space, inconvenient for others. Even the prince, who he'd always wanted to meet and blew his only chance.

The next day, he went to the market to shop for food. He saw some of his old friends there, his friends from when he was younger and wasn't banned from talking to naybody, that is. He never hung out with them and did as he was told due to not wanting to get harped on. He didn't deserve friends, anyways. Sometimes, it was worth it to cooperate so he didn't need to be annoyed by his step family. He hated Stelly the most, though. The other two were terrible, but Stelly was a whole nother level of annoying.

He bought some food from the vendors, all in huge baskets and bags that he clipped to Chopper's saddle. He got soaps, too. For himself mostly. The others had a ton for themselves. Once he was done shopping, he left.

Well, he spoke honestly to Deuce, who he'd known since they were kids. Back when he was allowed to have friends come over and hang out. He was the only one he had the bravery to talk to, still. Even if they'd grown apart due to others. "So, I fell asleep in the mud and prince Marco brought me home," Ace said with an awkward laugh. Deuce erupted into laughter, and apologized for him.

"Maybe it entertained him and he'd come back to see you. It's not exactly how you meet other people, right?" he asked. Ace laughed and said that probably wasn't how things worked. He got Marco covered in mud as well, ruining his expensive clothing. "Well, he took you back home regardless, right? It was his choice."

Ace nodded, saying that was true, and then left. He headed back home, completely distracted, damn it Deuce, why'd you have to say that? What if that was true, though? Marco knew where he lived, after all.

But, there was just no way. Ace had embarrassed himself completely, and was angry at himself. He had angry tears on his way. Tears of frustration and humiliation. Marco would never want to see him, even though they were both phoenixes. That probably didn't matter. Marco was a prince and Ace was lowly and dirty.

Plus, he was crass and swore all the time. That would probably make the prince uncomfortable around him. Ace hoped to speak to him again some day. Maybe in disguise. Wearing a mask. Well, he had no chance of that. It was hopeless.

-x-

"You found some guy sleeping in the mud? And that's what happened to your clothes?" Thatch asked, laughing at the state of Marco. Mud on his face and caked into his clothes. Marco chuckled and said that was right. "What the hell?! Why was he sleeping in the mud?" he laughed loudly at the dinner table.

Marco said he had no idea, but that the guy was an incredibly heavy sleeper. "It was something I've never had happen to me before, I can tell you that much," Marco said in amusement. "But his mother, or whoever it was, made me lay him on the floor. She seemed hesitant to say he lived there." He said that part with a light frown. Thatch pointed out that he'd been muddy and soaking wet. "Still, she could have put him on a towel."

"Yeah, that's true. Would you want to see him again?" Thatch wondered. Marco shrugged, taking a bite of his food. Pops was at a meeting and Izo was cleaning his outfit, angry at the mud even if he knew Marco didn't do it on purpose, it was a consequence of helping one of his citizens.

Marco said he probably shouldn't, having seen a flame on him that he was now sure was his imagination. He didn't say anything about that. Whoever he was no doubt wanted to keep it a secret.

"You shouldn't give up without just trying to see what he's like," Thatch replied simply. Marco asked him to not get his hopes up. Besides, he couldn't ever be with someone like him. Because he was a _him._ He moped, picking at his food before he got a stern look from Thatch, and finished his meal.

Thatch was quiet for a bit before asking, "Will you ever tell Pops about it?" Marco frowned deeply and looked at his empty plate sadly. He couldn't tell his father, the king. He'd be disappointed in him, surely. He'd not like it, scolding Marco and telling him he had no choice. There was no way for two kings to rule a kingdom.

It hurt him, to hide something this big. But he couldn't bear to see his father's face about it. The disappointment, that Marco wasn't how he wanted him to be. It would hurt, and he couldn't go through that. "I can't. You know that," Marco finally responded.

Thatch frowned. "I'm sure he'd be understanding, even if he said you still have to marry a princess," he said softly. Marco asked to not talk about it anymore. Thatch had the decency to respect his wish, and they left for the servants to take the dishes. Marco went to his room and flopped down onto his bed.

He looked at the painted ceiling, wondering what the kingdom would think if they knew. Probably wouldn't want him as their king. Sometimes Marco wished he had more brothers, older than him. He knew Thatch might not make a good king anytime soon, and Izo didn't want to. Marco didn't have a problem with it other than not being with somebody he loved.

Maybe he'd find a woman who changes his mind. But he didn't think this would happen. He'd never had a crush or any sort of attraction to a woman. He had for a man, but that was years ago. When he first knew he was different than what everyone expected of him.

He'd almost told Pops about that, being 17 and gullible at the time. But he hadn't, which he knew was the right choice now. It hurt to hide it, it really did, but he had no choice.

But he couldn't stop thinking about wanting to know what had happened to that guy. Why he'd passed out like that. It was silly to be so curious, he knew that. But he _was_ curious, though he knew that it would be inappropriate to just arrive at his home again and ask what had happened to him.

It was silly, and he tried not to think about it. Silly and a waste of time to think about something like that. But he smiled about it, thinking of him snoring in the mud, and draped over the horse like a sack of flour. Entertaining as it was. He couldn't deny that, and it was worth it to get his clothes dirty. Though Izo didn't think that way at all.

When breakfast came the next day, they sat with Pops at the head of the table, his three sons sitting near him, but not too close. Not far from him at the giant table that sat thirty. It really was never full, and only filled up when other kingdom leaders came to visit or negotiate, which usually went smoothly.

"We're having some princesses come soon. You'll choose out of them, Marco. Many of them are quite respectable and kind. I'm sure you'll find someone," Pops said happily. Marco said nothing and just nodded. "I know you like being single, but you're turning twenty soon, and should have gotten married two years ago."

"I know," Marco said quietly. Thatch and Izo were frowning in sympathy for their brother, who was miserable. The table was quiet until Thatch suggested they throw a party for the kingdom. They could have everyone celebrate together. Marco looked at him, wondering what he was doing.

He added that it would be everyone, not just the ladies. Marco frowned, knowing what Thatch was doing, and he appreciated the gesture, but it would only hurt him more. But Pops said it was a great idea, as the prince getting engaged would be a wonderful celebration. Everyone would be welcome.

"We'll have it weeks from now, since clothes will need to be made for everyone. It will be a ball, everyone needs to dress accordingly," the king said. Marco asked about poor citizens. Pops said they'd have to make do. As long as they aren't rags, they should be fine. "Suits should be easy to find, they don't need anything overly extravagant."

Marco wondered if the sleepy guy would be able to come. He hoped so, he wanted to ask him a question. The obvious one, but also his name. Thinking of him as "the sleepy guy" wasn't the best, and he'd rather have his real name instead. He hoped he'd come, but Marco also hoped he'd find a princess he could love.

The best case scenario would be him leaving the ball looking forward to being engaged to a woman. He could hope, but didn't think it would happen. He wouldn't close his mind about it, though. Or at least, try not to.

The next day, it was announced that there would be a ball that welcomed everybody. He hoped it reached the sleepy guy's ears, and that he could come. After all, it was required that they dress properly. He wished it was appropriate to give him a suit to wear. Maybe he could do it secretly. He sort of knew the measurements of his clothing.

He'd do something unprincely, and asked Izo to make a proper suit and give the measurements. He smiled knowingly, and Marco had blushed and turned away. But by the second day after the announcement, the suit was done. A nice and simple black one with white embroidery.

Marco put it in a box and was going to mail it to the address, but worried it wouldn't get there in time. He was going to do something reckless, and went upstairs and waited until he knew everyone was inside, and grabbed the box with his talons and flew to the house, finding the horse and dropping the box right in front of the stables before zooming away, not wanting to be seen.


	2. The Ball

**Otaku_Girl2176: Lol thank you, I'm glad you like the idea.**

**Anime_Moon00: Don't worry, like always it won't be dropped. I have a few more chapters to edit but it won't make a lag, as I have 14/17 edited. There's more fantasy later, so it moves away from Cinderella in some things. Plus, Ace speaks his mind more and he doesn't let assholes walk all over him.**

**chickie434: Thanks. It's so, _so_ fluffy in a lot of places. **

* * *

**Perhaps an unnecessary reminder, but Mikita is Miss Valentine's real name. The weird, smiling lady who could make herself weigh more back in the Alabasta saga. Anyways, enjoy~**

* * *

"Hey, apparently there's a ball at the palace for the prince getting engaged," Ace said when he was putting the food away after going shopping again. He was worried, since you had to have nice clothing to go, and he definitely did not have anything nice. All of his father's clothes had been removed or thrown away in the eight years since he died.

He had nothing to wear. Alvida grew super excited about the ball, having the gall to say Mikita could be picked by him. Ace didn't mean to be rude, but the woman was not anything noticeable. She was plain looking and was a boring person. There was no way anyone would pick her over anyone else. It just wasn't happening.

Ace was told to go get fabric and lace. He could get fabric for his own suit, but wasn't as good as he should be at making clothes. He was able to stitch up holes, but there was no way he could make anything. But, that's not what they meant. He was supposed to get the fabric and take it to seamstresses.

"They're probably already swamped with requests," Ace said reasonably. Alvida hit him in the arm and Ace hissed, glaring at her but not retaliating. He was commanded to go anyway. He sighed and deemed it not worth the annoyance, so he took the money and brought the models they wanted and bought the desired fabric.

Stelly was apparently supposed to pair with a princess that Marco didn't want. Ace had a lot of trouble not bursting into laughter. No princess would choose a peasant like Stelly. No way. The three were utterly delusional. Completely and hopelessly moronic. But, he went anyway and did as he was told.

When he went to the seamstress, there was a long line, so he waited patiently for his turn and once he was in the front, he presented her with the money and models. Two dresses and two suits. He was going to that ball no matter what.

While he was out and after he ran his errand, he went looking for a mask. He found one that went over his eyes just fine. It would cover his freckles and everything but his lower face and eyes. Surely he wouldn't be recognizable with this and _not_ covered in mud like an idiot. He paid for and pocketed the mask and made his way back home. It was good he'd be picking up the stuff so he could hide the suit.

He'd walk to the castle if he had to. He would not be welcome on the carriage, though he didn't really know why he wouldn't be allowed to go. He wasn't going to snatch the prince or a princess, so him going should be fine. Though it would probably be that Alvida didn't want him to be happy at all. Most likely, that was why. But he wouldn't ask.

He put Chopper back in his stable and fed him before heading back inside so read a book he'd picked up from the library in town. He went upstairs, and said he'd taken the fabrics and models to the place. But then Stelly stopped him. "Did you buy your own suit? Mother won't let you go."

Ace huffed and told him to fuck off before heading upstairs. He heard a shout of outrage from Stelly, and once Ace was in his tower/attic/bedroom, he heard the door lock. Stelly got the key and was messing with him. Well, he wasn't planning on going downstairs anyways. He was going to read.

It would be easy to break down the door or snap the door handle. He was strong, despite not having much food. He thought it was a side effect of his phoenix powers, but couldn't really be sure. Once he was hungry, he tried to open the door, just seeing if it really was locked. When it was, he pulled out the door handle and lock, allowing himself to come out.

They weren't surprised he wasn't trapped, but Stelly was angry about it and threw the key at him. Ace easily dodged it, and it shattered a very expensive vase. Alvida shouted in horror, but Stelly told her it was Ace's fault for dodging. He expected to be hit, but instead she targeted Stelly.

She slapped him. Nothing compared to the brutal blows she made to Ace, but surprising nonetheless. Nobody spoke, but Stelly started crying. 16 years old? Yeah right. Ace went to the kitchen and ate some bread for lunch and then went outside to tend to the garden that produced a lot of their food and only Ace was in charge of.

He saw a package sitting in front of the stable, and furrowed his brows, knowing he didn't buy that or bring it here. He walked over and picked it up, opening the package to see a black suit. He saw no card and no explanation, and had no idea how it got there. Had the seamstress finished it early and brought it here?

It sounded very iffy, but he took the package regardless and brought it inside, holding it behind his back as he made his way upstairs. He closed the door and put his dresser in front of it, since the door's handle was broken again and he didn't feel like repairing it, even though he had it on his dresser to repair sometime.

He took the clothes out of the box and saw how fancy they were. Well, simple, but the embroidered part was fancy. And it wasn't how he'd requested it. How the hell had it gotten there? He tried it on and it fit well, if not a little loose. It definitely wasn't for Stelly, since he was a lot shorter than Ace was.

He had no shoes with it, but that didn't really matter much, he thought. He took it off and put it in the box again and then hid it inside the wall.

The rest of the time passed painfully slowly, and he worried about being caught. What if they completely embarrassed him in public? At the ball, what if they humiliated him? Well, the mask should help with that. And they wouldn't know about his suit. He'd walk there, even if it took a very long time.

If he could fly, things would be so much easier. But he couldn't rely on that. He had to have a plan. There was no doubt that the three would get a coach to go. Ace would definitely not be welcome with them, so maybe he could just ride Chopper there? But where would they station him?

Maybe that wasn't a good idea, but what else could he do about it? Nothing, really. When the day came, Ace waited upstairs until he thought they left before getting dressed. He'd left the suit that had been made at the seamstress's place since he didn't need two. He donated it for somebody less fortunate than him.

He hurried down the stairs, the mask in his pocket until he saw Alvida had returned, and saw his suit on. She glared at him furiously, and Ace was worried. When she came forward, he smacked her hand away harshly. "You don't touch this," he snarled. She picked up the club nearby, which was in an umbrella case, and slammed it into his head and when he fell, he passed out after seeing her rip apart the outfit while he was out.

When he woke up, it was late out, no longer sunset. He checked the clock and saw it was 8 pm. It would take at least two hours to walk there, and he was hurting in his head before he looked down at the suit that had been given to him by somebody he didn't know. He ran outside, not caring, before he found Chopper had been taken, used for the carriage.

He was stranded. He fell to his knees, angry - _furious -_ and completely hopeless. He wanted to meet Marco, the other phoenix. He wanted to meet somebody who could actually use his powers. He wanted to use his, maybe Marco wouldn't believe him even if he said something. He'd think he was lying.

Tears dripped down his cheeks, both in anger and sadness. "C'mon, work, please. I need you to work," he pleaded with his powers. Nothing happened. "Please! Don't abandon me now, too!" he roared angrily. "What good are you for if I can't even use you! Useless!" he screamed, crying through his anger.

Ace felt completely weak and utterly helpless. But then his body erupted into orange flames, and he stood up, looking at the fire he hadn't seen in so many years. The pain in his head faded, and he touched the bloody spot to find it didn't hurt and there was no cut anymore. But his clothes were ruined until he looked down and saw that the suit was no longer ripped or black.

It was a bright orange and red suit with yellow embroidery on it. His boots were still black and ratty, but that didn't matter. He didn't know how his flames changed his outfit, but it sure was convenient. He turned his whole body into a bird, not as big as he thought he'd be, and launched into the air. _Thank you,_ Ace thought as he cruised through the air before going faster and faster until he came across the lights of the city and then the huge and glowing castle.

He'd never seen it in person before. He put the mask on once he landed in the woods before he ran up the staircase and through the castle, ignoring any guards that ignored him as well. He was late, apparently, as nobody else was still outside. He hurried inside and wondered where he was supposed to go.

He tried to follow the noises of people and music, but everything echoed here. It was so cool and big! He wanted to explore, but that would be wrong. He'd get in trouble for it. When he found a large double door, he walked inside and saw he was on a balcony. He went back and asked the nearest guard how he was supposed to get inside.

"Down that staircase, you should find a door. Don't run in the halls!" he called, but Ace continued to run and then ran down the steps. He found he was the only guy wearing something that was not black. Well, he had no choice in the matter. He looked around the room, seeing his step family trying to talk to the line of princesses mingling by the stairs. It was embarrassing, as they looked more than uncomfortable with Stelly near.

Some were chuckling behind their hands, and it made Ace so amused. He looked up the staircase and saw Marco looking sad and bored. He wondered why, since this was pretty much his party. Ace didn't have a date or anything so he had nobody to dance with. He couldn't talk to Marco up there for now, so he went looking for food.

He found a table with desserts at it, and started eating the chocolates. Discreetly, but eating them nonetheless as he watched people dance. He danced with his mom when he was little, but he didn't remember how to. And no woman asked him to dance with her, which he was perfectly fine with. After a while of waiting for Marco to come down, hoping he wasn't recognized from the sleep incident, he had to pee.

He walked through the nearest hall, and found a guard, demanding to know why he was in there. "Where's a bathroom?" he asked simply. His face relaxed a bit and he showed him to the nearest restroom and waited outside while he used it and then washed his hands. He was glad this suit wasn't uncomfortable. And he thought he looked really cool when he saw himself in the mirror.

When he was walking back to the ballroom, he saw Marco walking his way. Ace stopped, wondering how he could talk to him. He was a stranger, a peasant, regardless of how he was dressed. He fidgeted, but Marco looked right at him and asked him to come with him. Ace was shocked, but nodded. Not because he was the prince and he told Ace to do something, but that he wanted to talk to him, too.

They went outside to a bench, and Marco finally grinned. "So, how come you were asleep?" Ace blushed and put his hands in his face.

"Man, I wore a mask for a reason, you know?" he said casually. His words must have surprised Marco, how he was not showing so much respect. He took the mask off and put it in his lap. "I have narcolepsy. Makes me fall asleep randomly. I'm sorry I got mud all over your clothes," he apologized.

Marco laughed and said it was a funny experience. "I got to help someone directly myself. I don't usually have the chances to do that. Plus, I've never been in an experience like that. I see you aren't wearing the suit I brought you."

Ace blushed brightly, and asked why he gave him the suit in the first place before explaining that it was ripped apart by his step mom. "I wanted to see you again. I really wanted to know why you fell asleep in the middle of a muddy field," he laughed. Ace looked down and said he didn't know why that would be interesting enough to want him to come.

Marco shrugged, saying he was weird like that. Ace floundered before taking a deep breath. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but can I see your- your flames?" he asked uncertainly, not knowing if it was something wrong to ask. Something rude or presumptuous. But Marco smiled and nodded.

He lit his arm on fire, the blue flames flickering so unlike his own. He reached forward boldly and touched them. They were so soft. Ace's were different, he was sure. They were much hotter, though not enough to burn anybody. Just to feel like a warm campfire. He pulled his hand back and apologized.

Marco just gave him a reassuring smile, and asked if he could see Ace's flames. Ace was shocked, biting his lip. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," he assured.

"I can't control them very well yet," he said, and outputted his flames on his arm. They flickered, having trouble staying out. Marco ran his fingers through the solid and feathery flames. Ace's face was bright red as the prince looked at his flames with an awed expression, threading them into the feathers.

"Beautiful," he commented. Ace's face was _extremely_ red and he looked away. "What's your name?" he asked. Ace was reminded that he had no idea who he was. Well, other than a phoenix with narcolepsy.

"Ace," he replied. Marco asked him why he couldn't control his flames well. After all, he was older now, he should know how, be good at it. He looked down. "They haven't come out in years. I was raised to hide them, and they just never come out anymore. Until I wanted to come here, they came out and somehow changed my clothes to match."

Marco frowned, feeling sorry that he had to hide them. "You shouldn't have to hide them," he said softly. Ace looked down and said it was dangerous for anybody to know. He didn't have the protection Marco had, after all. Marco looked down, knowing that was true.

Ace looked away, feeling conflicted. Marco seemed to be flirting with him, but wasn't he choosing a princess today? Marco asked what was wrong. "Are-aren't you supposed to find a princess today?" he asked quietly. The prince deflated, too. Ace looked at him in surprise.

He sighed. "I don't want to marry a princess." Ace furrowed his brows and asked why. Marco's face turned red, but Ace didn't rescind his question. "I'm… not into princesses." Ace understood what he meant and frowned in sympathy. He said he was sorry. "It's my fault for just making it worse for myself. My brother offered this ball so I could try and see you again, and I agreed for that reason as well." Ace's face turned red again. He didn't understand why he was so interesting to Marco. All he knew about him was that he fell asleep in weird places.

"I can't tell my father. I don't want him to be grossed out by me, or disapprove," Marco said sadly. Ace felt so sorry for him. He would have to marry someone he didn't and couldn't love because he was a prince. Ace slowly asked if somebody else could be the prince. "My brothers don't want to be. I was fine with it before we brought up marriage."

Ace frowned, and put his hand on Marco's arm. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. Marco said it wasn't his fault, that he should have known this would happen and accepted it by now.

"It's been hard for me to accept. To have to be with someone I couldn't love," he said softly. Ace nodded, saying he felt terrible about it.

"And the king wouldn't let you be with someone you want, for sure?"

Marco said he was sure that it wouldn't work. Ace was sad. Marco… was acting like he did like Ace, but he couldn't be with him. And a prince having an affair would be bad. He'd get in so much trouble, and so would Ace. But… Ace's life was already hell. Surely it couldn't get worse. They both heard Marco's name being called, and he stood up and pulled Ace around the corner so he didn't have to go to whoever was calling him.

They ended up in a hedge maze, which was strange to have on a castle ground. When he looked confused, Marco said it was made when he was a child. They walked inside, and Marco had Ace try to lead them out. He grew frustrated with all the dead ends. "I know a shortcut," Ace announced, and forced himself through the bushes. Marco laughed and followed him, holding his hand.

By the time they made it out, Ace's hair was a mess, and so was Marco's. Neither were cut by the branches and their clothes were high quality, so they were fine, too. "You were right, that was a shortcut. But it sort of missed all the fun," Marco said with a smile. Ace said he wasn't a very patient person.

They ended up laying on the grass of a field far from the castle. "You're gonna get your nice orange outfit dirty," Marco said. Ace said he had to hide it anyways. He wouldn't wear it again. "Why?"

Ace said he didn't have the best roommates. His step family. They were assholes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to swear. It's hard not to," Ace said, sounding awkward. Marco said that he and his brothers swore all the time in private, but were well mannered in front of everyone besides their family. "That's nice. I heard once that people who swear are smarter. Fucking badass bitchin' study," he said and Marco laughed loudly. He was smiling brightly.

When the loud clock chimed, announcing the party over, they both stood up. Marco was looking conflicted, looking down at the hand he was holding. "Will you meet me at the flower meadow at the base of Mount Rosses?" he asked. "Tomorrow at noon?" He looked worried.

Ace was making a terrible decision. It would only make it hurt more when Marco had to get married. But, like his house, he would treasure the memories even if he wasn't at that place anymore. So, making memories with Marco would be worth it. They just couldn't get caught. So, Ace nodded.

Marco smiled and said he'd see him the next day. Ace nodded and looked around before running off. When he got to the forest, Marco probably saw him fly off into the sky out of the tree canopy. Ace was grinning internally the whole way home, and when he got there, he hid the suit and mask on a box on the roof. Now that he could fly, he could hide things up there.

He pretended to be furious when his step family returned, all of them looking disappointed. Looks like nobody snagged the prince or a princess. Delusional for thinking they would. Ace made a show to spit in their food when he served it before going upstairs. Now that he finally unlocked his phoenix powers, they couldn't harm him. No more clubs to the face or side.

He wrote in an empty journal about that night. He couldn't help it.

-x-

"So which princess would you like to marry?" the king asked Marco once the party was over. It was very late. He couldn't tell anybody about Ace, not even his brothers. He really liked Ace. He was acting like himself. He was blunt and silly, even though Marco was the prince. He didn't treat him with smothering respect. He was so natural and genuine. The princesses and everyone else who wasn't family acted like he'd punish them for not being completely proper.

"I don't want to marry any of them, Pops," Marco said honestly. He liked Ace, he had to attempt to ask his father. He had to. And if he said he still had to marry a princess, then he would do something morally wrong but personally right. He'd see Ace regardless. Maybe it wouldn't pan out, but he had a good feeling about it.

Ace seemed… perfect for him. If only he was a prince, then things might work out. But maybe he was better without being a prince. He was himself, he wasn't raised in a perfect environment. He had hardships that made him into a real person. Someone who had endured hard times.

"You have to, son. I know you like being single, but you're a prince," Whitebeard said in a sad, but exasperated voice. Thatch gave him a reassuring nod when Marco glanced at him. He didn't know about Ace.

"I… Will you love me no matter what?" Marco asked seriously, brows furrowed. Pops seemed genuinely offended, and said _of course_ he would always love his son. "I'm not interested in women, Pops," he said, sweating with his heart beating faster. Pops' face fell drastically, and Marco was panicking.

He sighed and said, "I'm so sorry, son. I didn't know. But... we still need an heir." Marco's heart broke. There was no going around it. He was going to marry a princess no matter what. He couldn't leave his family if he loved Ace. So he'd love him in secret, if it ended up like that. Marco nodded, though his face showed devastation. He announced he was going to bed and would make a choice in the morning.

He did run into a princess in the hall, with blue hair and a light blue dress. She looked at him sadly and stopped, asking to speak to him about something important. "Please, hear me out," princess Vivi said. Marco nodded, and she entered the nearest room. He looked so deflated, unable to even pretend to be happy. "I saw you with that boy. You like men, right? I can tell." Marco was glaring suspiciously. Vivi then looked sad. "I don't like men. I already have someone who I love. She's my handmaid, Nami. So, I want to marry you. We'd both be okay with one another loving someone else. And I'm sure we'd be fine to hide it."

Marco was shocked. "I… want to be happy. But I also want to help my kingdom as well. I'm sure you feel the same." He nodded, and smiled at her. She smiled back. "We can pretend, and we can cover for one another. But, we'll have to be convincing when we're together, even if it's not sincere."

The blonde smiled and said it was a great deal, and he'd be glad to marry someone like her. "We will be deceiving a whole kingdom, so we have to be sneaky about it," she said finally. He shook her hand, as it was like a business deal. He said he was in for it. She smiled and teared up. "I need to go tell Nami. We'll give the news tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright. Goodnight, princess Vivi," he said in a kind voice. She smiled and wished him a good night as well. Marco went to his room smiling, feeling hope that he could be happy. For the last couple of months after he was told he needed to marry soon, he'd had no hope, only despair. But now he would marry somebody Pops approved of but could still be happy and with who he wanted to be.

Because he had a good feeling about Ace. He just did.

The next morning, Marco ate breakfast and told Pops he'd tell him his decision at dinner. He wanted to go on a long flight that day. Whitebeard completely understood, knowing Marco must still be upset about the night before. When the king made him be with someone he truly didn't want to be with.

He was lucky Vivi saw him with Ace. It was just pure luck that she was there in the first place. He hid his happiness. After breakfast, he went to the kitchen and got a basket of food and drinks before going to the far field and flying away, to where he was supposed to meet Ace. He wasn't there yet, but he was twenty minutes early. He laid the blanket down and put the basket down.

He hadn't gone on a picnic since he was little. He ate outdoors sometimes, of course, but not going someplace else to have food, someplace other than the castle grounds. He had his back to the trees, so when Ace screamed and jumped out of the woods, Marco gasped and whipped around.

Ace pointed and laughed at him. Marco got up and ran at him knocking him to the grassy ground. "That wasn't very nice."

"Well, you looked calm and composed last night. I had to remedy that," Ace said with a grin. He looked at the blanket station, and asked if they were having a picnic. Marco got up and reached down to help Ace up.

Marco nodded, saying he brought good food, too. They walked over, Marco not letting go of Ace's soft hand. They sat on the blanket and Marco opened the basket, good food that Thatch had cooked for him specifically, and apple cider bottles. Ace looked in awe at the food. "This is so much better than any of the food I've eaten since my parents died," he said in awe.

The blonde frowned and asked what kinds of things he ate at home. "Boring stuff. The scraps a lot of the time. It's fine," he said when Marco looked worried. "I have to cook their food a lot… but they're horrible so sometimes I spit in it if they're being especially mean. They deserve it when she hits me in the face with a club!" Ace said defensively at the look Marco gave him, of shock.

Marco suddenly looked very horrified. "So, they physically abuse you like that?" Ace nodded, though said he sometimes hit his step brother back. "But I wouldn't do that stuff to anybody else. I'm not always an asshole," he assured. Marco smiled and said he could tell Ace was a good person.

He blushed and Marco loved seeing that. Ace was adorable and hot at the same time. They ate the food, Marco letting Ace have most of it based on the fact he never had good food, it seemed. He did keep one of the apple ciders to himself, though. Ace was so happy with eating real food, and Marco knew he'd be bringing Ace good food now. He deserved it.

But he was angry with Ace's home life. Being hit in the face with a club… that was punishable by law. It was definitely considered assault. But he wouldn't get his "family" arrested unless they did something truly terrible. Worse than what they already did. Or if Ace asked for the law enforcement to get involved.

Ace took his hand, intertwining their fingers, but looking sad. "Did you choose a princess yet?" he asked quietly. Marco smiled and said he had. Ace looked at the smile and then looked down. "But it'll be more like an allied relationship than a romantic one. She loves somebody else, too. And it's not a man. So we'll pretend to love each other while we're actually in relationships with others."

The younger laughed, and said that was awesome. "If it's okay with you. I don't want to pressure you," Marco said sincerely, an earnest look on his face. Ace blushed and said he would like to be in a relationship. Then he looked a little concerned.

"Why me?" he asked quietly. Uncertain and insecure.

Marco answered, "I like you. Because you treat me like a normal person, and you're funny and honest and real. You're clearly not faking anything. You didn't once call me 'sir' or 'your highness'. It made me happy to meet someone who treats me like a normal person. And you're attractive, too, but it doesn't matter too much as long as you have a good personality.

"And we're both phoenixes. No one will understand it better than each other," Marco said honestly, with a true smile. Ace blushed and smiled, too, looking away in what was clearly bashfulness. "Is there anything you want to learn about it, since your flames just now came?" the prince asked.

Ace thought for a minute. "Everything seems to be working now." Then he looked down. "I think it's thanks to you. I wanted to meet you so much that my flames came out to bring me there," he said with a pink face. He looked up to see Marco's was red, too. Ace grinned and Marco looked away.

He lit his hand with blue flames, Ace's red ones mixing and making a pretty purple. "Maybe we were meant to find each other," Ace said before his eyes went wide. He put his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm going too fast or something. I've never done this before," he said in embarrassment.

"It's not wrong if we both feel the same," Marco said reasonably. "Who knows if it's too fast, and who cares? As long as we're both good with it." Ace looked shy but smiled. After they were done eating, they laid on the blanket and looked at the sky. "Hey, thanks for coming to the ball."

Ace smiled and thanked him for the outfit that let him come. Marco said he made it look much better than it did originally. "Don't tell my brother I said that, though. He's the one that made the original suit." Ace said he liked the orange more, too, but it had been nice originally. "I'm glad it was bright orange, too. It's how I noticed you in the crowd."

The younger smiled shyly. Marco asked how old he was. "Seventeen. I'll be eighteen on New Years," Ace replied. He looked at Marco closely, probably wondering how he'd react to his age. The difference wasn't large at all, and Marco had assumed Ace was around that age, as well.

"I'm twenty. Just turned twenty," the prince replied truthfully. "Not a big age difference at all." Ace smiled, probably in relief. Marco wasn't unattracted to anything about Ace. Not his personality, behavior, age, appearance. And he really liked Ace's laugh, too. Often accompanied with a snort. It was funny, though Marco tried not to laugh at him.

Ace's smile went a little softer before he said, "I haven't been treated this well in a long time. Thanks." Marco frowned, and looked at the sky. He wished he could bring Ace to live with him, some place welcoming, but he couldn't risk it. Vivi was already taking a risk by having Nami live there as her handmaiden. Having Ace there might make things trickier.

But, it wasn't right for him to be treated how he was. Abused physically and emotionally. He said he was fine, but abuse scarred people. And Ace had been being abused for years, since he was a child. Marco wouldn't ask too much about his past. Not yet, he really didn't want to go too fast.

Prying into family matters might make him uncomfortable, so he wouldn't take that chance. Marco looked at his watch and noticed they'd been out there for three and a half hours. "I should get home soon. I have to tell Pops- the king about me and Vivi agreeing to get married. We'll both be cheating on each other, I guess."


	3. Blooming Feelings

#### Fenrir_IndomitableSpirit: Thank you! Vivi is definitely a saint or this would never work.

#### Otaku_Girl2176: Hahahaha! Omg that comment changed real fast. "So wholesome" to "then Nami use her fingers to scoop up Marco's jizz and insert it into her or something". 10/10 funniest comment. Took the place of a review of "made me shit and cry". 

**Anime_Moon00: Unlike a few of my recent stories, Marco is an angel in this one. And Vivi is so sweet about the whole thing. Her and Marco are like, good friends. And yeah, Ace doesn't put up with their shit. In the actual cinderella movies, it annoyed me how little she fought to get out of the tower. Like, just gave up and danced around lol. But Ace is a badass in this, and gets even cooler later!**

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**Shorter chapter and takes place right after the previous one. It left off when Marco told Ace about the situation with him and Vivi. Enjoy~**

* * *

Ace laughed and said it was a pretty unique sounding situation, Marco and Vivi's agreement. He stood up and helped Marco pack up, folding up the blanket and putting it in the empty basket, which only held empty containers and two empty cider bottles. The food was really good, and Marco swore to bring Ace good food every day.

"Really? Won't that be noticeable? For both of us?" Ace wondered. Marco was surprised to see that Ace had ridden his horse there, hadn't flown. Probably because nobody knew he could, including his terrible step family.

"I'm sure I can do it just fine. I'll leave them on the roof so nobody will see." Ace smiled and said he was able to hide up there now. He wished he had been able to use his powers this whole time. Marco didn't ask any more. Giving Ace space that he deserved. Ace untied his horse, Chopper, from the tree and got on. He didn't use a saddle at all.

Marco watched Chopper trot away out of sight before he picked up the basket in his talons and flew home to the castle. When he got back, he went straight inside, hiding his happiness. It was nice, a date with Ace. The meadow was a nice place. He could only imagine being there at night and how good the location would be for stargazing.

He did wonder how he'd go get him for dates, how to schedule them. Maybe he should have done that today and he missed his chance. Well, when he brought him the food, he'd leave letters for him. Nobody but him could get onto the roof of his tall home. He put the basket away and the dishes in the sink.

Vivi found him in the ballroom, where Nami was tending to her. He knew it was Nami based on the looks she and the princess shared. Nami bowed to Marco when he entered, and when she walked past Marco, he heard a light thank you. Marco just nodded. Vivi asked how his day was. He smiled, and she said, "Mine, too. Ready to tell the king?" The prince nodded, and put his arm around for her to wrap hers around his. He made sure to look even a little bit upset. They found Whitebeard in the library, reading. Marco wondered if Ace liked to read. He had tons of books to share with him if he did. He looked forward to the future, getting to know Ace more and more.

He was sad that it would need to stay secret, but Ace didn't seem hurt at all about it. Just happy it would work out any way it could. When the two entered the library, Marco cleared his throat, and Pops looked up. "I've chosen Vivi," he said, sounding purposely sad. Vivi curtsied to the king. The man looked at Marco with sympathy in his eyes. Maybe Marco should have told him a long time ago, he didn't know. Thatch had been right all along. He should have trusted his father's love more.

Well, he'd be lying to him now. It would be hard, but Pops already decided Marco had to marry a woman, so he had no choice other than to sneak it. He knew his brothers would find out eventually. But he also knew they'd keep his secret. One he'd be hiding from the whole kingdom. But he wasn't alone in that. Vivi would be as well. But they had to be good rulers, too. He hoped Ace would be patient with _him._

He had said he wasn't a patient person, so Marco hoped he'd be okay. The prince wouldn't be surprised if he did feel hurt by Marco hiding it, but he'd do everything he could to know it was Marco's last resort. He truly frowned. He couldn't do good by Ace. He couldn't ever invite him home to meet the parents.

Suddenly, he felt a lot more doubtful. Maybe Ace would be happier with somebody else. He said he was fine with this, but for how long? Marco felt uneasy, and _bad._ Like a bad person. But he was selfish. He wanted to stay with Ace, even if it was in secret. He wanted Ace to be more than a mistress of a sorts. But he could do nothing about it right now.

Maybe he should press one more time. "Vivi, can I have a moment alone with the king?" he asked. She smiled and said that was fine before she left the room. Marco looked down. "Are you sure? That I have to marry a princess?" he asked his father quietly.

Whitebeard sighed. "I'm sorry, son." Marco lost any trace of a smile, but nodded in acceptance.

"Okay. Then I'll marry Vivi," he said in a tight voice. The king said he was glad he was able to choose. "I had to pick one of them," Marco said, and left the room to go mope. Vivi put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. They were in this together, more than just together in marriage. Together in lies and fakery.

Her look showed she was fully dedicated to this, she loved Nami. Marco nodded once, showing he was determined as well. "No matter what happens with me, I won't get in your way," he vowed quietly. She returned the sentiment, and the two of them left to plan their engagement. They both knew what to do, as royal children. They'd learned this long ago.

Would Marco love his kingdom more than Ace? Could he balance them both somehow? Would Ace be okay with that? He was just glad he had someone in this with him, princess Vivi was going to deceive their family and the country alongside him. They were just lucky neither were considering the other was cheating.

-x-

Ace was smiling as he put Chopper in the stable. "Good boy. Good, patient boy," Ace said, pressing his forehead to his horse's. He ran a hand down his jaw and thanked him, giving him some apples as a treat. He walked inside, full of good food and happy with fun memories. Stelly was there, and Ace couldn t hide the bounce in his step.

"Where were you?" Alvida demanded to know at the staircase. "The house is a mess, clean it." Ace scowled at her for it, but did get the cleaning supplies, not really wanting to argue and going to be lost in his thoughts no matter what he was doing.

He understood the situation, this was the only option. And it wasn't one sided. They both really wanted to pursue this, no matter the stress it would cause either of them, both of them. Ace looked down, knowing he would never be able to move in with Marco. He couldn't move into the castle. Well, he _could,_ but it would be weird.

Maybe it would be better than living here for forever, though. No, it definitely would be. But of course he was never going to ask to move into the castle as Marco's side relationship. Well, no, not a side relationship. More like a male mistress. Princess Vivi was in her own secret relationship. It was lucky that she and Marco were fine with both sides. He would lie to everyone, Ace should feel special for the man thinking Ace was worth that. And he was happy and felt special already.

He just hoped things would work out somehow. That he wouldn't be thrown away, tossed in the trash like he was here. He gripped the broom handle too hard that it started to snap. He relaxed his grip and finished cleaning and doing the laundry before he went to his room, fixing the doorknob once again.

Laying on his crappy bed, Ace closed his eyes. He could deal with this. He hadn't been planning on leaving the house anytime soon, anyways. He never expected this to happen, so he had not expected being in a relationship with anybody at all, let alone the prince. In secret. Could he go to jail for this? Well, Marco would get him out.

Right? He opened his eyes with a sigh and put his hand up, lighting it on fire. He wondered what his parents would think of this. They would support him if he loved Marco, but the rest? He had no idea what they'd think of this plan. He pulled the blanket over him just in time to pass out. He was glad it hadn't happened around Marco again. It was embarrassing enough the first time.

After he woke up, he opened his attic window, big enough for his body to fit through, and climbed up the side of the spire until he was laying on the rooftop. This was nice, nobody could bother him up there, and if he fell, he'd heal just fine. He thought. Well, he wouldn't be risking it like an idiot.

A bird landed next to him, and he moved his hand over and it pecked his finger before seeming dissatisfied and flying away. He chuckled. He touched the smile on his face, not having felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards in years. There was nothing to smile about when he was alone and mistreated.

Marco made him smile for the first time in years. That was more than enough to put up with being a side project. He napped on the roof for a while before he heard screaming for his name impatiently. He sighed and turned over. The roof wasn't exactly comfortable, and the screaming grew too annoying to ignore anymore, so he dropped back down to his window and walked inside and down the stairs.

"What is the problem?" he demanded of Mikita.

"Go get my dress repaired!" she demanded, shoving her garment into his arms. He asked why he should do that. "Because that's what you _do._ That's all you're good for," she snapped, seeming in a really bad mood. Ace's face grew dark. He wasn't only good for chores and errands. A prince saw something in him, they should too. _He_ should too.

He only met Marco days ago, but he was going to deceive his family and kingdom to be with him. To try being his love. Ace ripped the dress into shreds and threw them at his step sister. She was in shock, her mouth wide open. "Go get it fixed yourself," he snarled, and stepped on the rags for good measure.

Ace knew he'd regret that later, but he wouldn't be leaving this house for now, even if they wanted him to leave. They could no longer hurt him. And he didn't enjoy or need their company. He didn't know how frequently Marco would visit him besides dropping food off, but he felt he'd visit him as often as possible.

At least, he hoped so. Ace left the house and got Chopper. He rode off, gripping Chopper's mane tightly, but not tight enough to bother him. He had him ride to the meadow he'd been to just hours ago. He sat on the grass, no blanket this time. "Get ahold of yourself. You're pathetic," he hissed.

He put his head in his hands, letting the tears slip down his cheeks. He wanted a real family. He wanted people to love him, care about him. People like his mom and dad. He didn't have concrete memories of their days, but he knew he was happy, and they were, too. Why couldn't they be phoenixes like him?

And why did dad ever choose these people? It was his fault Ace was put through this. But he couldn't hate him. It just added to the bitterness, even if he missed both of them dearly whenever he was hit or swore at.

He cried quietly, silently. He didn't want anyone to know he was there, didn't want anyone to know he was crying. _Especially_ his step family. After around twenty minutes of self pity, he got back on Chopper to ride home. He wouldn't be pathetic anymore.

He would stand up for himself consistently. He wouldn't let them walk all over him sometimes but other times he did. Ace deserved better. Anybody deserved to be treated better than he was. He rode back and put Chopper back, his faithful and only friend. When he walked inside, they were waiting for him. Alvida had her club.

Something that would never hurt him again. But he didn't want them to know about his phoenix powers now that they'd finally awakened, thank goodness. When he walked inside, the three were scowling at him deeply. "What? I'm not letting you walk all over me anymore," he said in a firm voice.

"Is that so?" Alvida asked wickedly. Ace simply nodded. He wouldn't back down. He'd clean his room and his own messes. They'd clean their own. He wasn't their servant, he was their roommate, and the house was left to him in his father's will. If he really wished to, the final straw had broken, _he_ was able to kick _them_ out, not the other way around.

Ace had hidden the will somewhere they'd never find it. Folded inside one of the cracks of one of the slightly broken rafters in his attic room. Aliva told him that he wouldn't be getting any food. Ace asked how she'd stop him from eating. She took her club and walked upstairs. He followed her, worried she'd destroy something of his.

And when she was about to destroy his bed and dresser, Ace was there and gripped the club tightly before he yanked it out of her hands and dropped it out the window. "What didn't you under _stand_ about me not letting you abuse me anymore?" he asked with an unimpressed expression.

She grew angrier, and he shoved her out of the room and down the stairs. He went to his bed after locking the door from the inside and went to his journal to write about his time with Marco. His happy day. He smiled as he wrote. He couldn't wait to see him again. He didn't care about his step family at the moment. Ace was just happy that things were going well. He was happy all day, which Stelly didn't like. When he went down for dinner, he ate whatever he wanted, not caring anymore. Alvida could try and hit him as much as she wanted, and it wouldn't hurt. But he wouldn't let any of them see him heal just fine. He'd just dodge the blows.

"Why are you so happy? Where did you go today?" the step brother demanded. Ace said it was none of his business. "Were you going to see somebody? Or just be a weirdo and go off on your own. Fall asleep in the mud and embarrass yourself?"

After Marco wanted to be together despite the trouble it might cause for him, Ace no longer really was upset about falling in the mud and being brought back to the house. It was what made Marco meet and grow interested in him. For some reason. It made him happy, the outcome. It was embarrassing, but it didn't upset him anymore.

"Does it look like I fell in the mud?" he asked, getting a glass of lemonade he'd made out of the ripe lemons from the tree outside in the garden. Stelly said he must have gone off on his own, since nobody would ever like him for him. "Says the one who thought he could get a princess but probably had nobody wanting to be around you."

Stelly grew red in the face and Ace smirked, going to the study to eat, even if he didn't usually go in there. He was happy for once. Truly happy through the whole day. Not letting them walk all over him was nice. He was determined to not slip up with that. He was 17, beyond old enough to stand his ground against bullies.

They were more like obnoxious roommates than a "family". Not that they'd even been considered family. Some day, he'd kick them out of this house. He didn't know when, but that day would come. And if they threw a fit, all he had to do was show the authorities his father's will, leaving everything to Ace.

He would be lonely, but being alone was better than being with these people. Maybe Marco could visit more if the house was empty of anyone who could cause him trouble. Well, sneaking around in secluded places felt exciting for now. Maybe he could visit the castle some day, but only if both of them were sure they'd give nothing away.

Princess Vivi's lover was staying at the castle with her, her handmaiden. Ace couldn't help but be jealous. Well, he had no right to be jealous yet. It was stupid to go that fast. Marco might decide Ace wasn't worth the trouble. It wouldn't be too surprising, but it would be beyond upsetting.

If that happened, if there was no one he knew in the kingdom who would love him, he'd leave and find somewhere else to live. After all, he could fly anywhere he wanted. But, he'd take Chopper. He'd take the bare necessities and leave. He'd leave his house that wasn't a home.

He still felt it was just a house he wasn't attached to. His memories were within his mind, not the walls. Maybe he'd kick these assholes out and sell it to someone else before leaving, just to spite them completely. That sounded like a good plan if his relationship with Marco didn't work out. Who knows? There should be no use worrying about it now.


	4. Showing Commitment

**Anime_Moon00: Ace is even better as a bad ass in this one! He isn't gonna take shit anymore.**

**Otaku_Girl2176: They could always adopt. If Pops would let them, that is. But who knows what will happen? Just gotta wait to find out. ;)**

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**I finished another story,** **totaling** **8 that I have waiting to post. It's so different from a lot of my other ones, I've not written one like it but it's really cute. So, that will be posted some time in the distant future lol. Enjoy~**

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The next morning, he heard a thump on the roof, as his window was open to let in fresh air, even though it made the room cold. He climbed onto the roof and found a basket had been dropped. He didn't see Marco in the sky, so he must have been busy. After all, he had announced his engagement the day before to his family. And it would soon be announced to the kingdom.

He was glad he didn't have enough friends for them to leave him if they found out he was with their future king on the side. He opened the basket to find fresh and good looking food. Freshly baked bread, cheeses, fruits, and drinks. He smiled and sat on the roof, eating the good food for breakfast.

The weather was perfect for it, and once he was done with the food, he looked back inside the basket and found a note. He opened the folded piece of paper.

_Vivi and I told the king the news, and everything is going smoothly so far. I can't see you for a bit, but I left carrier pigeons in your stables. So we can talk more often. I'd like to see you more. But I can't sometimes._

_-Marco._

Ace closed the basket and pocketed the paper before he climbed down his spire and went to the stables and found a cage with two pigeons in it. He looked around before bringing the pigeons to the very back of the stable, where Chopper slept. The others wouldn't find this in the smelly stables.

No matter how much you cleaned it, it would always smell like horse, which didn't really smell that good. He grinned. Marco brought him a way to contact each other without him having to come over. He really was serious about this, and it made Ace feel warm and _wanted._ It was an odd but completely welcome feeling.

He went on a ride with Chopper, a long one, smiling the whole time. He rode parallel to the mountain for a long time, enjoying the breeze. He eventually led Chopper up the path on the mountain before he got off at the clearing on top of the mountain. "You're such a good boy, Chopper," he said, loving his horse. He was gifted Chopper the year his dad had died. One of his last gifts to Ace.

After an hour of staying up there, Chopper grazing the nice and fresh grass, they went back down carefully, slowly. The horse did perfectly and there wasn't a single moment that Ace was worried. They rode back. It was a three hour ride, and Ace's back felt stiff and sore by the end. It looked like his phoenix healing didn't cure that kind of thing. Well, it wasn't a very big deal, so he wasn't upset.

When he got back, he brought Chopper to the stables and then went inside to write a letter back to Marco. He wrote it and then managed to figure out how the carrier pigeons worked. He let one out and let it go. "Thank you," he said as it flew away. He knew none of the family was watching, so he was sure they wouldn't notice.

He went back inside and walked past Mikita. She was glaring at what seemed to be some food she spilled. "Pick up the pieces and put cleaner on the carpet. It literally takes one minute," he said. It was pathetic they didn't seem to know how to clean up their messes. Ace would clean up his own, they'd clean up the ones they made. She said that, if it only took one minute, why couldn't he just clean it.

He put his face in his hand. "I'm not your maid. You clean up your messes, I will clean up mine. For anyone normal, that shouldn't be a problem. It's common sense," he said simply. But in an annoyed undertone. He hoped they caught on soon and didn't start bugging him. He walked into the living room, not caring that Alvida was there. She was reading the newspaper.

Ace got a book out and put his feet on the table, though he had socks on, and had taken off his dirty shoes in the laundry room. He started to read the book he'd left on the table, silently. Alvida looked confused as to why he was out there. She asked what made him think he could stay there.

"It's my house more than it's yours," he said casually. "It was left to me, after all." She scowled, and said she'd never let him keep this house. It was _hers._ "No, actually, it's not. And some day, I'll leave, kick you out, and sell it to somebody else." She blanched. "If you ever had treated me properly, like a person and not your servant, maybe I wouldn't plan to do that."

"How _dare_ you. You're that selfish?! That you'd kick us out and then _sell it?!"_

Ace gave her a chilling glare. " _I'm_ the selfish one? That's pretty ridiculous coming from somebody like you, the most selfish person I've ever had the misfortune to know. I don't know why dad chose you, but you won't get your way in the end. I'll make sure of that."

"And where will you go instead? There's no one who'd want you. You'd be homeless, too," she snapped, her hands clenched so hard her knuckles were turning white.

"Don't worry, everything will work out for me somehow. After all, it's my house, and I can take all the money it sells for. I don't mind living alone in a smaller home, no matter where it is," Ace replied. Alvida scowled at being accused of being worried about Ace's possible future homelessness. She asked if he even cared about his parents' beloved home. Ace said his happy memories were in his mind, not the walls of a house that hadn't been a home in many years.

Stelly was behind him, he could hear him easily, breathing harshly in anger. He heard, easily, the club being swung at his head, but he moved to the side, Stelly let it go on accident and it slammed into Alvida's chest, clearly breaking ribs as she cried out in pain. Ace raised his brows in shock and turned around to see Stelly looking horrified.

Ace suggested she go to the doctor, not that he'd be the one to take her there. They could take Lashes, the other horse. They had no carriage. "Mother! I'm so sorry!" Stelly sobbed. Ace suggested they leave soon in case a rib punctured her lung. Stelly immediately tried to pick her up, barely able to carry her, as she was heavier than what the weakling could carry.

He demanded Ace to carry her, since he couldn't. He asked why he should do that with a sneer. He didn't think Alvida would die or anything, as she didn't seem to be wheezing about a punctured lung. Though it should be treated as soon as possible. The manor's doctor on sight had been let go long ago.

Ace was the only one who ever really got hurt by abuse. No broken bones, but definitely burns, bruises and head injuries that thankfully never stayed too long, despite the severity. "We won't make you do anything for a week!" Mikita shouted, now in the room, too. The two kids were frantic.

He didn't know why, since Alvida wasn't a loving mother, even to her biological children. She was always a bitch, just exponentially more so to Ace than the other two. Ace pointed out that he wasn't going to be forced to do anything regardless of whether they "allow" him not to. Then he thought of Marco, and what he'd think of him abandoning the woman.

Maybe he'd be upset. So Ace sighed and closed his book carrying her not gently to the horse. It was for Marco. Ace didn't think he was cruel, but revenge against abusers, well, he couldn't help but enjoy it. It was satisfying. And he wasn't the one to hurt her, Stelly was. He put her on the horse that Stelly got on after her.

They rode away to town, which was a good half hour ride on horseback. Mikita was glaring at him in anger and frustration. "What changed?! You were fine just a few days ago!" she demanded. It was a valid question. Though he'd started being defiant earlier, he changed after the ball and Marco. That was three days ago. Well, three nights ago. He wouldn't give the truth to her, but he wasn't sure what to say. So he settled with, "I grew fed up with how you've been treating me. Anybody would."

She was still angrily staring at him, and tears of worry over Alvida appeared. Ace didn't feel an ounce of sympathy. Alivda wouldn't die. And he wasn't ashamed to say he definitely wouldn't miss her if she did. He wondered if his mom wouldn't like that. She definitely wouldn't like how he'd been treated. It was understandable that he grew bitter and hateful at his wretched step family.

Ace chilled on the roof for a while, waiting to see what happened next. When Lashes and the two came back, Alvida looked angry but not too injured. He wasn't seen by them, so they wouldn't know his hiding place. Well, not hiding. His private place. They would never be brave enough to climb up just to get to him.

He climbed back into his window, big enough to get in and out of, and walked downstairs, curious but not concerned over what had happened. She had passed out when Ace carried the bitch to the horse. Probably out of nervousness since Ace didn't think she was badly injured. Though the club had gone flying at her with a lot of force. Meant for his head.

That could have been a deadly blow. Maybe the club should have hit her face and mangled her nose. That would be satisfying. Alvida thought herself very beautiful, but had not ever even tried to get married again. She said it was because she didn't want another husband to die, but Ace felt she just liked feeling in charge of the house. Having a husband might change that feeling.

He heard her tell her daughter that she had two broken ribs, but nothing too serious. _Damn it,_ Ace thought spitefully. "Thank you for carrying me to Lashes, Stelly," she said. "Even though you're the one who hurt me." The last part was much colder. Of course the snobby shit said it was him.

Well, Ace had no real problem with that. Taking the credit for doing something nice for her wasn't too big of a deal. Ace didn't want to help her in the first place, so he wasn't upset she didn't think it had been him that had helped out, albeit very reluctantly and defiantly. He wouldn't have if Marco hadn't gone through his mind.

"Ace was the one who moved out of the way! It's not my fault, mother, I swear! How did he know to move?! He should have been hit just fine!" Stelly raged, losing composure completely. Alvida called him an idiot, that he had been so loud about it. But she was irate Ace had moved as well. It wouldn't be the only time. He would use his newly awakened enhanced senses just fine.

Mikita said he was acting weird, suddenly all confident. But they didn't know why, since they had no idea he went to the ball, and definitely not that the prince was pursuing a relationship with him. A romantic one, even if Ace couldn't be with him with other people knowing. But, it wasn't as if he had a ton of people to hide the secret from. Literally three people.

And he knew they wouldn't dare spread the news around, knowing it could be considered slander. It could ruin Ace's life, but probably not Marco's. He could always ditch Ace if things got too bad or complicated. He'd just enjoy the now and not worry about the future. He couldn't predict what would happen.

-x-

Marco got the message back from Ace quickly. He opened it and saw what he'd replied.

_I understand. I won't be hurt if you go a few days without seeing me. And thanks for the food, it was great! I've decided to not let my step family walk all over me anymore. That I'm done. And I'll be consistent about it, they won't tell me what to do ever again. I'll probably end up being an asshole to them, but they deserve it, I feel. Thanks for the pigeons, too. It'll be a lot easier to communicate this way! Good luck with everything._

_-Ace_

Marco smiled and rolled up the paper, putting it into his pocket. He wanted Ace to know that he was important, too, but he'd tell him that in person. He didn't want Ace to feel like a side project of a sort. And he was a bit jealous that Nami lived in the castle with Vivi there, too. He had to sneak out to see Ace. Maybe he could somehow invite Ace there, but didn't know what he'd do to help. Marco would need to have a valid reason to be bringing him there. He sighed, but went to find Vivi and plan on a couple days from then, where the kingdom would learn of their engagement. They had to plan early, and would rather just get it out of the way.

They had to be good actors, and getting to know one another was important. He found her in what would be their new bedroom to share. They would need to share the same bed because it would look strange if they got separate beds.

Marco knew that wouldn't be a big problem. The bed was huge and they could always use separate blankets. Whatever they needed to be comfortable in this situation. He opened the door and saw Vivi laying on the bed with her head in Nami's lap while she brushed her long hair. Vivi's partner tried to scramble up, but Marco put his hand up.

"You can stay like that, I don't mind at all," Marco said simply and made sure the door was locked and closed behind him. Vivi looked up at Nami with a reassuring smile. "We should plan about our time together. How to act. And we should get to know one another, as well." He sat on the side of the bed where the two women weren't.

Vivi sat up and moved to lean against the bed frame, still holding Nami's hand, who looked uneasy and reassured at the same time, somehow. The prince and princess talked for a good two hours about their interests, their histories. Vivi's kingdom had been through a lot of hardship, so she was relieved that she could be of use to them.

Marco nodded, but didn't really know how to empathize. Their kingdom had always been peaceful. But he could sympathize. Once they knew each other relatively well, Marco explained to her about his brothers and how the castle operated. She said it was similar to her own, and she had met his brothers, and they seemed nice. He was glad everything with her was smooth.

Neither brought up the topic of eventually needing to have a child. He was sure it would work out. Nami could be like the aunt, supporting Vivi in ways Marco couldn't. And it would be nice to have Ace involved somehow. But that was in the future, and not the near one. He knew Pops wouldn't force him to have children right away, knowing that Marco didn't want such a situation in the first place.

"Have you seen the boy again?" Vivi asked curiously. Marco smiled and nodded. She smiled back, seeming happy for him. She really was kind. He was glad she was the one he had to be forced to marry. "What is he like?" she wondered.

Marco said, "He's nice and real. He treats me like a normal person, not a prince. He's funny, too. And swears a lot," he laughed. "It's nice being treated like a normal person. And we have some other things in common, too." Then he confessed, "I wish I didn't need to sneak around to see him, risk having him feel like a side project, because that's not what I want with him. But I don't know how I could invite him to live here without it looking suspicious."

Nami looked sad for Ace. She probably knew how he felt, but was also worse off since Marco couldn't be with him whenever he wanted. Well, when he wasn't busy. Nami had lived in the same place with Vivi for years. She was better off than Ace was. Especially since Ace was abused at his home. Emotionally and physically.

He told them that fact, and both women looked so upset for him, looking down in sadness and sympathy. "I hope he feels how important he is to me, already. It just feels right with him." Marco knew Vivi was probably the only person he could talk about his feelings with safely, knowing she wouldn't let anything slip while she was at risk as well.

Maybe he'd tell his brothers about it, but not anytime soon. Nami stayed quiet, maybe nervous to talk openly with Marco. She wouldn't work under him, she was Vivi's handmaiden and secret partner. So Marco wouldn't tell her what to do.

When he went back out, Vivi came with him, Nami following after Vivi before bowing and heading away. Vivi gave her a fond look, and she walked away. Marco sighed and said they would go talk to the planners and king. Vivi took his hand in hers. "It'll work out," she assured him. She was much more confident, probably since she'd been hiding her relationship with Nami for three years. Marco had had three days.

Maybe he'd get good advice from her. His wing-woman. They found Pops in the study, and Marco knocked on the doorframe, getting his attention. "When will we do any planning for the announcement?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Usually, in bigger kingdoms, there was an event for choosing a princess or prince to marry. Pops said there would be a ceremony, and that meant both of them had to fake happiness, not just Marco. Because he knew Vivi wasn't happy with this either.

"We'll have a gathering out in front of the palace. You both may plan how it's done," the king said. Marco wondered when he'd be crowned king. A king having an affair. Well, was it considered an affair if both of them were fine with it? Didn't couples do that? He's heard one of the guards talk about open marriages.

But he was too cowardly to ask something like that and raise suspicion and ruin both of them. Then Vivi would no doubt hate Marco and he would hate himself. So, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't jeopardize any happiness he could have with Ace.

The two planned a simple ceremony, neither too much into having a big, fancy one. It would simply have citizens have the right to attend. They didn't need to, but they could. And they could dress relatively nicely. Would Ace come? Did he want him to come? Marco had to fake happiness. But he felt Ace knew for sure that Marco was being honest about the forced marriage.

Izo was already talking about the outfits he'd make both of them. Vivi's own seamstress was there and was going to school Izo on how to make fancy and beautiful dresses. And he would teach her how to make men's outfits. They had no woman in the manor, since the queen had died long ago. So, a dress hadn't been made in a long time.

Marco and Vivi went on a walk outside in the garden to make it look more real. That they didn't just ditch each other at every chance. Marco asked how she met Nami. "Nami's mom was one of my guards until she died. Nami stayed at the palace with us, and was never told to leave even after her mother passed. So she was trained by the handmaidens and became mine since we were near the same age.

"We grew up together. I knew I liked her before she liked me, too. That was three years ago. So we've been sneaking for a long time," she said with a fond smile. Marco felt jealous, and hoped he and Ace would last. She put her hand on Marco's shoulder. "We have a duty to our people, but we also have a duty to ourselves," Vivi said firmly. "We deserve happiness, too." Marco smiled and thanked her. He said he thought their marriage would work out, even if it wasn't in the love sense.

The princess nodded with a smile, and asked how he met Ace, too. Marco chuckled and said his story wasn't nearly as romantic or sweet as hers. "I found him passed out in a muddy field. He was caked in it, and I picked him up and managed to find his home. Got mud all over my outfit, too. I didn't know what had happened to him, but I was really curious. So Izo made an outfit for him and I dropped it off at his home without him knowing.

"His family ripped his suit apart before he could come, but he managed alright and came. Then we went and talked while walking around the grounds."

"Maybe you two being together could one day change things. If you ever told the king about it. After all, couples could always adopt. But it wouldn't unite two kingdoms."

Marco nodded, saying he knew that was the biggest hurdle. "But the public might not like a same sex couple to rule. Though they probably wouldn't like our current situation either," he laughed. To anyone watching, it would look like they were happy with each other, holding hands, though they were actually talking happily about people they loved other than one another.

It was nice talking with Vivi. Marco felt they could become close friends. Well, they would need to be if they had to pretend to love each other. After a while of walking and talking about Nami and Ace among other things, they went back inside the palace to see the seamstress and Izo to be fitted. Izo didn't let them choose what they'd wear, he "knew best" and so the two let him have his fun concocting outfits for. They could wear clothes they already had, but Izo was against that, so Marco let him be, Vivi going along with that.

Marco sent another letter to Ace, telling him about the ceremony and saying he understood if he didn't want to come. He didn't reply that day, so Marco didn't know what to expect. He knew he'd be able to tell if Ace was anywhere near just by smell alone. He couldn't say what Ace smelled like other than familiar and warm. Probably something to do with both of them being phoenixes.

He hoped Ace came, but only if he believed Marco that this was fake. He didn't love Vivi and she didn't love him. But he hoped to at least see him while officially starting the lie they needed to make sure was never discovered.


	5. A New, Odd Friend

#### Otaku_Girl2176: Thank you! It's very clear that ao3 is much more interested in romance. I have barely any views on this on ff.net! And who knows if they adopt? There's still much of the story to unravel!

#### Anime_Moon00: This chapter is even fluffier! They deserve each other definitely. And there's still much more things for Ace to do to Alvida. And I have read that story, it was so fun. I'd never found an actually humorous fanfic before that one. 

#### Blackdreams: I'm glad you like it! There is definitely no mpreg in this one. And we don't know if they do have a kid or not. Though I know they could all love a child, though it would definitely be hard to hide the relationship if there were four people loving the baby lol. Well, hopefully they'll work everything out!

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**A new, important character shows up in this one! I loved writing him. Enjoy~**

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Ace took Chopper to the edge of the forest the next day, behind the large crowd. He'd checked the carrier pigeon too late to reply the day before. He was attending the short ceremony that everyone was so excited about. No doubt more excited than the couple themselves. Marco had made it clear that this was just for show.

Ace believed him, and hoped Marco would realize that soon and not stress over it. As long as he thought Ace was worth it, then things should be fine. He didn't hate or feel resentment towards Vivi at all. He appreciated her willingness to go along with it, though it was her idea in the first place. A wonderful idea.

Alvida was unable to come due to the horse ride hurting her broken rib and not having enough time to arrange a carriage to take them. Stelly and Mikita didn't come either. Only Ace, who didn't even get off Chopper. He just sat atop him at the edge of the forest. He couldn't get closer, anyways, even if he wanted to.

So he watched from horseback. They had to wait for a bit until some trumpets were blown and Marco and who he assumed was princess Vivi came out onto the front balcony. They had matching dark blue outfits. Ace smiled, thinking Marco looked very nice in that outfit. There was no speech from either of them, both of them holding hands and waving with the other, smiling.

They were good actors, they both looked genuinely happy. But he saw Nami, the woman Vivi liked, standing behind them. With his enhanced eyesight, he could see her looking at Vivi and blushing. He grinned, seeing this making him for sure that Vivi didn't love Marco and _did love_ somebody else.

He watched as Marco stared right in his direction and lifted his waving hand in the air higher, letting out a burst of blue flames. Ace lifted his hand and let out a small burst of red from his own hand, sure nobody would see him in the shadowy treeline. Everyone's eyes were on the future rulers, not some teen on a horse behind the crowd.

The people cheered, clearly thinking it was something other than a signal to Ace. Ace smiled brightly, and turned around and rode Chopper back home once the prince and princess walked back inside. Marco hadn't said he was going to visit that day, but Ace felt he would, for some reason, and went to the meadow with his steed.

He dropped down onto the grass, and Chopper started to graze the fresh grass. He waited for an hour, just looking up at the sky on his back, when he heard Marco land lightly in front of him with a basket of food. Ace looked at the blue suit and told him he looked very handsome in it. Marco smiled and sat next to him, putting a blanket down first.

"You look good in normal clothes. I like these much more than the fancy outfit," he said, taking his hands gently. "Vivi is a very kind person. She truly loves Nami. It's a nice thing to see." Ace said he'd seen Nami blushing behind them. Marco laughed and said he had to admit they were both very cute together.

Ace sighed. "It's sad they have to hide it. And w-we have to hide it," Ace said, blushing at saying "we", feeling presumptuous. Marco noticed this and put his hand under his chin, tilting it up to look at him.

" _We._ I want this, no matter what," he said firmly. Ace's face turned more red and he pursed his lips, trying to hide the smile but failing. Marco kissed his cheek, Ace's face somehow even getting brighter red. "How have you been?"

Ace said a lot had happened, and told him about his new stance with his step family, and how Stelly had injured Alvida. That she was fine, though he couldn't hide the irritation about that. He looked up at Marco nervously, but the blue phoenix seemed to already know what Ace was thinking.

"Anyone would be bitter and resentful to their abusers. I think it's perfectly reasonable to hate them," Marco said in understanding. Ace gave a relieved smile and nodded. He was relieved that Marco didn't look down on him for not being kind and honorable to everybody. Marco grinned and then asked if Ace wanted to go on a flight. "You can tie Chopper up and I'm sure he'd be fine."

Ace looked to his horse, not wanting to leave him, but he would be fine. Nobody lived out here and it wasn't popular for hiking or anything of the sort. Ace stood and said he would do it, making Marco visibly happy. He walked to Chopper and took his harness to the nearest thick tree, closest to the grass field and tied him to the post.

"I might not be very good, I've only flown a handful of times," Ace said nervously. Marco just smiled and changed forms seamlessly, now a large blue bird. Ace changed too. He was significantly smaller and with a much shorter beak. Marco shot off and Ace did, too. They both flew higher until they would be hard to see from below. Especially Marco since he was blue and matched the sky.

Ace was nervous about it, never flying so high. Marco made a coo sound and moved to be flying under the smaller phoenix to make him feel safer. Ace chirped in response. Honestly, he looked like a baby bird, even if he was only three years younger than Marco. Of course, he was much larger than most normal birds, but still smaller than Marco.

Eventually Ace was confident enough to fly safely, he moved to the side to fly side by side with Marco. Ace wondered how far Marco had flown. Had he gone out of the kingdom before? He wished he could ask him, but when he tried, only warbling bird noises came. He huffed.

Ace wished they could talk while flying. Marco flew up and under Ace gracefully as they flew over forests and the mountains. He wondered how far they'd go, but Marco didn't seem like stopping anytime soon. Ace looked down again, seeing a large mountain he'd ever been to before. He chirped and looked down, wanting to explore.

Both he and Marco tilted downwards and they landed in front of a cave Ace shifted back to human form and excitedly asked for them to go inside. Marco grinned and nodded, taking Ace's left hand and intertwining their fingers. The both of them used their other hands to light up the dark space with orange and blue light.

"You don't know how happy it makes me to be able to fly with somebody," Marco said with a happy sigh. Ace smiled and said he had fun, too. But wondered why he was so little compared to Marco. "Well, maybe there are just differences in individual phoenixes? It's too bad we don't know more, but it was already an anomaly."

Ace swung their hands a bit and said, "You never know. They could be in hiding and nobody would know." Marco was quiet for a bit before he said it was a legitimate possibility. They came across a drop, and Ace lit on fire and jumped down, Marco calling him to wait, but Ace fell deep and landed easily.

He didn't need to be on fire anymore when he saw the cave, full of glowing bugs and crystals. Marco landed and went to scold him, probably, but stopped when he entered the chamber. "It's so pretty," Ace breathed, going to the nearest wall and trying to pull one of the crystals out. It seemed surprisingly fragile and broke off. It lost the glow in his hand, but it was still pretty.

The younger turned around with a smile to see Marco looking at him with wide eyes and a dark blush. "What's wrong?" Ace wondered, wondering if he'd done something to bother him, growing a bit worried.

"Just thinking you look beautiful in this lighting. Well… in general," Marco confessed, making Ace blush next. He floundered, looking down at the reflective, black floor. The whole cavern glowed enough for them to see each other easily. Marco walked up to him and tilted Ace's head up.

He slowly leaned forward, clearly doing so so Ace could have the chance to pull away if he was uncomfortable. He wasn't, and let Marco kiss him. His lips tingled and the hands behind his back and waist burned, but not in pain or discomfort. The chaste kiss was stopped but only for a moment before Ace pulled him back into the kiss.

Marco seemed completely fine with this, and the kiss got more intense until both of their flames were mixing and lighting up the room with a new, purple light. They pulled away to breathe and Ace felt and looked incredibly bashful, nothing like how bold he was to deepen the kiss. He looked up to see Marco looked downcast.

Was Ace that bad of a kisser? Marco saw his expression and immediately explained. "I just wish I could do more for you. Do right by you. I don't want you feeling like a side project or anything like that," the prince explained. Ace felt a lot better, glad to have an explanation.

"Well, this is better than nothing at all, right?" Ace asked optimistically. Marco asked, sounding slightly incredulous, if it didn't bother him at all. Ace took his hands, nice and warm, and said, "Well, it _would_ be nice to not have to sneak, and meet your family, but I'd rather have to do it this way than not at all."

Marco's face softened, but still looked sad. Ace touched his face and gave him a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. I'm pretty sure your feelings are genuine, I think it's worth it. I just hope I never get you in trouble."

"It wouldn't be your fault if I got into trouble. This is my choice, too. More my choice than yours, even if I don't like it like this much. I never want you to feel insignificant to me," Marco said firmly. Ace blinked a couple times and nodded. He asked why Marco was so worried about him feeling that way. "I want to be with you. And I want you to be able to be happy with me. Even in this way."

"I'm happy so far, don't worry so much," Ace said in a light voice. He wouldn't lie and say he was happy with the set up, but he wanted to be with Marco, too. It was like a half-long distance relationship. Only they had to hide it. Marco moved to hug him.

He quietly asked for him to tell him if he ever felt forgotten or unimportant. Ace said he would, but he was also understanding that Marco had a lot of responsibilities. "Including you," he said firmly. "I have a responsibility to be there for you, as well. That's how relationships work… I'm pretty sure," he added and Ace laughed.

He hugged him still and said he wanted him to be happy and not worry when they were together. "If I ever feel lonely or upset, I'll tell you, okay?" And he would. But, he was an expert at not getting lonely. So Marco didn't really need to worry much about it. And Ace was absolutely positive Marco's words and feelings were honest. He said them with such conviction and sincerity. He believed them, and knew that little voice in the back of his head would say otherwise, regardless of his true feelings.

Marco regretted not bringing the food with them, and Ace said this could be their place, now. Safer here to have privacy than in the meadow. Ace was worried about Chopper, and it was starting to get later and they had to make their way back, the long flight. They left the cave, Ace giving Marco the piece of crystal he'd broken from the wall.

"They'll think I robbed somebody and try to get me arrested." Then he giggled. "I sorta promised to kick them out of the house some day since it's mine in my dad's will. And when I decided to live alone and _not_ in that house, I'll kick them out and sell it to somebody else and take all the money," Ace laughed.

Marco snorted. "If I did that I wouldn't be a very good prince." Ace pointed out that he wasn't a prince, so he was allowed to be a jerk sometimes. And besides, they were criminals already for attacking Ace constantly. They deserved it.

They were talking in the meadow, since they were unable to speak in their bird forms. "I guess that's true," Marco amended. He lifted Ace onto the horse easily. Ace asked if he liked being a prince. "I do. Less now that I have to marry someone I don't love, but I look forward to being a responsible king. Though I don't want to have less time for you. Vivi has been with Nami for three years and lives with her. I can't be that lucky."

Ace frowned and shrugged, saying things might change. He might be skilled at something and be let into the palace. He grinned, "Maybe I'll become a painter or some shit and always make you look handsome in paintings."

Marco laughed and said he was sure he could do it. "And I'll make sure to turn every horse I paint into a unicorn. I'm sure everyone will like them," he replied. Marco grinned and kissed Ace again. He promised to send him a letter soon and see him as soon as he could. "I had a lot of fun today. And don't worry about stuff so much."

The prince nodded, and Ace waved before he and Chopper left to go home, Ace feeling very happy. So happy he was unable to hide it when he got back to the house, smiling as he put Chopper in the stables and gave him an apple for being a good and patient boy while Ace was away.

When he walked through the house, smiling, to go to his room and write in his journal that, after years, was finally being used, Alvida saw him looking so happy and scowled. He was even humming, completely unable and unwilling to dampen his good mood.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. Ace hummed happily as he flipped her off, not saying anything or giving her eye contact. He passed Stelly on the piano, terrible at it and never learning in years. He glared at Ace, too. They would be very suspicious of him now, but he wouldn't let that get rid of his high.

Marco kissed him! And he really wanted to be with Ace, this wasn't just him doing something on a whim. And it was nice, flying with him. They could go exploring so many places! They could see the world that nobody else could see without a very vigorous horse ride. Like in the cave, anyone who couldn't fly would not only break their legs from that drop down, but would be unable to get back up.

They could do so much more than regular humans. And Ace liked Marco when he offered to fly under him when he was uneasy. He hadn't needed to say anything for Marco to know and act accordingly. Ace could definitely deal with the secret relationship if he felt that warm and loved the whole time. Totally worth it.

-x-

Marco and Vivi were sleeping in the same room out of kindness to Vivi. Marco had dragged in another mattress, and was giving Vivi the king's bed to share with Nami. He knew he'd want to be in Vivi's position if Nami was Ace instead. So, he was being considerate and kind to his "wife" to be.

Nami had had tears in her eyes when Marco offered them the bed. She bowed to Marco, who said he was happy to help them. It had been two days since the flight with Ace, and he was still on his high. Flying with Ace, kissing him, laughing about silly things. He hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

He loved his family deeply, and Thatch was light hearted, but Ace was a lot different. He was from a very different world, and so had characteristics not befitting royalty. Like how he vowed to kick his family out of his house and then sell it right afterwards.

Marco couldn't help but be amused with the plan. But he didn't think Ace was cruel or an asshole. He was 17 and lived with an abusive household, physical and emotional. He had every right to be angry and spiteful. And to have fun pissing them off. Marco wouldn't do that, but only because he had never been in a situation like that.

In the morning, he sent a letter to Ace. A simple, " _Want to go flying to Mt. Paulimo on Sunday?"_ That was a neighboring kingdom's volcanic mountain. It was an active volcano, but Marco had flown to the top of it when he was ten and defied Pops' order to not leave the kingdom. It was amazing, being able to look directly into the mouth of the volcano and see the inside.

Anyone other than a phoenix would probably get burned, but he hadn't. And Ace couldn't burn either. Despite their size difference, they were both phoenixes with the same powers and abilities. Marco was glad that he had somebody else like him. Someone to understand and explore with. He could carry Thatch, but it wasn't easy or fun to do that. Flying with somebody else that wasn't a bird was amazing.

And Ace was so cute when he was uncertain about flying. So Marco had flown underneath him, and Ace seemed to relax at that. So cute. All day, for the last couple of them, he was smiling. Of course, Izo knew something was up. He wasn't always this happy and shouldn't be after being in a forced engagement.

Vivi did well, pretending to be loving with Marco, not letting a single sign out that she was in love with somebody else. And Nami was as well. She tended to Vivi and didn't smile while doing it. But then again, both of them had been in a secret relationship for years and never got caught by their own family.

Marco would need to take notes. But only when Ace came to the palace. After he had flown home, he had already decided he would somehow get Ace in the palace. It was a better environment than his home, and he just wanted to be with him how Vivi was with Nami. But, he didn't know what he would disguise Ace as yet. It might need to wait a while, but he could wait and Ace sounded like he was fine with waiting as well.

After breakfast and after he already sent the pigeon to Ace's house, he was walking down the hall when Izo approached him. He held up Marco's outfit he'd worn to his date with Ace. "Why is there a grass stain on this?" he asked suspiciously. Marco gave nothing away.

"I flew to a meadow to be by myself for a bit," he replied smoothly. "Why?" Izo didn't look convinced at all. He eyed Marco suspiciously, both narrowed. He definitely knew something was up. Then his face softened. "You know you could tell me anything, right?"

Marco knew Izo wouldn't tell anybody, but he didn't know what he'd think of it. And he didn't want somebody who knew that would just guilt trip him, as Izo was good at that, even if he didn't always mean to. "I know," Marco said, simply. Izo nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but he was always perfect at controlling his voice and expressions. Marco hoped he wasn't feeling hurt.

But Marco couldn't let anybody else know. Only Vivi and Nami, of course, too. He was lying to everyone.

He wasn't happy about that part, but he thought he loved Ace already. He was walking down the long corridor to the kitchen. He had to ask Thatch to make a treat, going to say it was for him but would really bring it to Ace. It was the only real way he could link Ace to his brothers in any way. He wished they could meet him, Thatch would love Ace.

There was no use in thinking about that. He just entered the kitchen when he heard a quiet. " _Mmm, I can't wait"_ and the sound of someone humming. The sounds disappeared, and he was a bit weirded out to say the least. A bit worried, too. But he tried pushing that away as best as he could and went into the kitchen.

He found Thatch at the end, eating cake he'd made the day before, looking at a cookbook. Thatch was a prince, too, but also worked as a chef willingly since he enjoyed cooking. Marco walked up to him and then sat at the counter with him. "Yo, what's up?" Thatch asked cheerily. Marco smiled and said he wanted Thatch to make raspberry macarons. "Why?" he wondered.

"Because they sound tasty," Marco replied. He'd wanted Ace to try the macarons and would bring them on his next outing with him. Thatch said he'd make them perfectly. They hadn't had them in awhile, but Thatch didn't seem suspicious at all, bless his heart.

" _Mmm, Mt. Paulimo with Marco,"_ he heard the humming again. It was quiet, but it was there. He could hear somebody humming happily. Thatch asked him something, but Marco was focusing on the voice that wasn't his. He didn't even really think his thoughts had a voice.

Thatch was tapping his shoulder, but Marco was consumed with wanting to know what the voice in his head was. " _Fuck Stelly, hah, he doesn't get to go on adventures or kiss anybody. The only person who will ever kiss him will be his mother. Grudgingly."_ Marco snorted out laughter. But he was shocked. He knew who Stelly was, Ace's detested step brother.

" _Ace?"_

" _...Oh no, I'm hearing things,"_ Ace's voice said in horror. Marco was brought back to the present, and would rather address this new situation with his lover in person. He wanted to be with Ace in case it scared him. Marco thought it would be cool to be able to talk to him like this. But he also would understand if Ace didn't want that.

But he then asked out of nowhere, "How did it go with the guy? You disappeared during the ball and didn't come back the whole night." Marco had a second to make a decision. So he lied, no way around it. When he did eventually find out, the chef and brother would be upset Marco had lied to him, but he had to.

"I hung out with him, but when I asked Pops about it, told him the truth, he still made me pick a princess," Marco said, not wanting to have to go into detail, not wanting to lie more than necessary. Thatch frowned sadly and put his hand on his shoulder. He said he was sorry, but that Vivi seemed like a good person. "Yeah. I agree with that," Marco said honestly.

After he was done talking to Thatch, he got the food gathered in the basket from the storeroom since Thatch was in the kitchen, and flew off to drop off the food for Ace on the roof. He didn't see him outside, and flew back, knowing Ace would hear the usual thump on the roof. He couldn't wait to go on a long flight with him again.

Go traveling where he couldn't with anybody else. He didn't hear Ace's voice again that day, but did often hear low humming of a tune he didn't recognize. If it really was Ace he was hearing, then he was very happy to see Marco again. Very happy, and it made Marco happy himself.

-x-

Ace sat on the roof, eating the food Marco always brought. Nobody had caught him on the roof yet. He felt he was doing very well with keeping all of his secrets. He didn't let anything slip, though the assholes were very suspicious of his happiness. The visits he took with Marco, no matter how short.

He visited at least every three days. It was enough for Ace, and he was so excited to go on the trip to another kingdom. It was Saturday, so the next day he'd be going on the trip. His step family tried following him once, but he easily shook them off. Alvida's ribs healed quickly, to Ace's disappointment.

Ace went on a ride with Chopper after finishing the food Marco dropped off, through the field that Marco had found him in. He was wearing a jacket since it was chilly that day, and was just enjoying the rhythmic movement of Chopper galloping beneath him. He was about to pass through the large field completely when he saw somebody laying in the grass face down.

Even though Ace was an asshole to his asshole family, he wasn't a bad person. He steered Chopper to the man and dropped off of his horse to check on him. There was no horse with him, but he saw horse tracks leading away from the guy. He bent down and moved him over to see it was someone with a scar on his face and very puffy hair that seemed to have been ruined by his fall.

There was a bloody bruise on his forehead, so he probably hit his head. Not everybody was Ace and could withstand a head injury, so he hauled the guy up onto Chopper, draping him over his back and climbed on after him, directing Chopper to the city. He was bringing the guy to the doctor's, anywhere.

He didn't have any money on him, but hopefully he'd be treated alright. He was worried that they were so far, so he had Chopper ride faster until they entered the city limits and Ace headed for the nearest doctor's office or hospital. When he got outside, he dropped off of his horse and pulled the man down into his arms before hurrying inside.

"I found somebody who hit his head, he needs attention," Ace said, bringing the man, taller than him by many inches, up to the counter, where a bed was rolled out for him. Ace put him down and rummaged through his pockets for any money. "I don't know who he is, and I don't have much money to pay for him," he said to the receptionist.

"Don't worry, Ace, we'll take care of him. It's not your responsibility," Oliva said kindly. This was where Ace used to go to get check ups as a kid and treated for bad wounds his whole life. They knew him well. "Thank you for doing the right thing." Ace's cheeks turned a bit red but he nodded and then left.

While they were there, he went to the sweets shop and bought some hard candies that he ate on the way back home. He had gone grocery shopping the day before, since he was the only one who wanted any sort of good food. It really seemed the other three truly couldn't fend for themselves.

It was pretty pathetic. They managed to make their own food, but it was never as good as the food Ace made for himself. After awhile, he checked on the roof again and found the basket had been taken. Marco had been there while he was gone. He was never bothered that Marco didn't stick around to say hi. He was busy, and just this gesture was kind enough.

He had trouble falling asleep that night out of excitement for the next day. But he did fall asleep, and woke up to a pecking sound on his window. He hurried over and saw Marco perched on the window in bird form. Ace gasped and opened the window. "Why are you here?!" Ace hissed in shock.

"Didn't feel like waiting to meet up at the meadow," Marco said honestly with a bright smile. Ace sighed and shook his head before he went to put a shirt on, since he was sleeping shirtless. He felt Marco stare at him and his face turned pink before he put his shoes on.

He turned around and grinned, seeing Marco had a sack with food and maps in it. He helped out his hand for Ace to take, apparently not wanting to wait for breakfast. Ace took his hand and they both climbed out of the large window and took off from the roof, Ace once again much smaller than his lover.

Ace wished they could talk, but they couldn't. He didn't know where they were going, so he let Marco guide them. He had a satchel around his claws while they glided over the forests and mountains. Ace looked forward to where they'd be landing.

While he was distracted by the scenery, Marco moved down and to the side a bit where the tip of his wing brushed against Ace's. Like they were holding hands. Ace couldn't help the chirp that came and Marco let out a deeper coo. Ace grinned internally. They flew for a good hour before they arrived at the place Marco wanted to bring him. A large mountain that Ace could hear steam coming from. A volcano!

They landed lightly on the base of the mountain. They changed back and Ace looked up the intimidating cliffs. Were they climbing up it? He was wearing comfortable enough clothes, and saw Marco was wearing more normal people clothes as well.

Marco took his hand, intertwining their fingers and getting Ace's attention. "Want to go look into the pits of hell?" Marco asked with a grin. Ace nodded excitedly. He asked if they were going to climb. Marco asked if he'd rather fly. Ace beamed and said he was up for the challenge. Marco nodded, and fastened the bag to his back.

"If we need to, I'm fine with flying up," Marco said. Ace pouted and asked if he doubted his skill. "Not at all, just saying." Ace nodded, and Marco went up first, carefully climbing the steep mountain. It was warm on it, heat coming from the rock.

Ace wondered why they were going to the open mouth of a volcano. "It's amazing, looking inside. I went here once before by myself. I got in so much trouble by Pops," he laughed. Ace smiled and said he rarely got in trouble by his parents. "Maybe that's a good thing. But I thought I grew out of my rebellious stage. After all, I'm having a secret relationship while pretending to be engaged to Vivi."

Ace laughed and said he could write an interesting book about it. Marco said that was true. While the climbed, they talked. Careful and paying attention to their footing as they scaled the large volcano. For anybody else, Ace knew this would be a very suicidal activity to do.

"How have you been?" Marco asked curiously over the wind.

"Kinda bored. But I did find some guy passed out in the field the other day! The same place you found me. It was weird. I took him to town since he seemed injured. I hope he ended up okay," Ace explained. His hand slipped, but he caught his footing fine. Marco was frozen in place. Ace asked if he was okay.

"Y-Yeah. What did the guy look like?" he asked. Ace was worried he'd said something wrong. Marco sounded uncomfortable. The younger man explained the man's appearance. Marco swore loudly. Ace hadn't heard him swear before. "Damn nosey Thatch. That was my brother."

Ace raised his brows and said he hadn't looked like royalty. Then he gasped and asked if they knew already. Marco said he wasn't sure. Thatch may have been going to meet him out of curiosity about the guy he'd been interested in. Apparently, they didn't know about him but had helped him to try and meet Ace at the ball in the first place.

The freckled teen was worried and afraid that they'd been caught already. "Thank you, for helping him, though. It could have been bad if he was left alone." Ace stopped climbing, completely deflated, no longer happy. Marco looked down at him and gave a sad smile. "It's not over, Ace. He doesn't know for sure, and if he did find out, if I asked him not to say anything, I'm sure he won't."

Ace still felt like crap, and didn't move anymore. "We only just started…" he said quietly. "I really like you."

Marco smiled widely and said he really liked Ace, too. And to not give up or lose hope so soon. "You told me not to worry, now I'm telling you. Okay?" Ace nodded, and they resumed their climb. It was quieter now, but they did make it to the top fairly quickly, both of them in shape and not fatigued from climbing.

Marco helped Ace get to the top, and it was very hot up there. It made Ace sweat, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Marco took his hand and the two of them walked to the peak, to the mouth of the cave. Marco actually startled Ace when he began to climb _into the mouth of the volcano._ "Wh-what are you doing?!" Ace shouted.

The prince looked up and grinned. "It's awesome once you come inside. You'll get used to the heat quickly. If you don't want to, it's completely fine," he said cheerily, standing on a ledge overlooking the lava below. It was a scary red hue, the whole interior. But Ace trusted Marco and climbed down, his hands not burnt from touching the scalding rock.

He was sweating profusely, as was Marco. He took off his sack and opened a container with all sorts of desserts in it. Ace sat down next to him. He was hot and sweaty, but it didn't hurt him or was painfully hot. More like being in a sauna. "Would normal people have died here?" Ace wondered.

"Most likely," Marco said casually. "Now, try all the food my dumb brother made me," he added excitedly. They dug into the food, the desserts tasting spongey as they melted in the heat. It was nice, the most private place they could ask for, ever. Nobody else could come here. Ace was halfway through another macaron when he started to feel fuzzy.

"M-Marco," he slurred. "Sl-p ttck," he mumbled before he passed out. He was only out maybe ten minutes before he came to, embarrassed. He hadn't had a sleep attack in front of Marco yet, surprisingly.

"You okay?" he asked calmly, his head in Marco's lap with him pressing his fingers through Ace's damp hair from the sweat. They had two big bottles of water with them. Ace nodded and sat up, apologizing. "It's okay, I already knew you had narcolepsy. I'm glad you warned me, though," the blonde said happily.

Ace smiled and thanked him. They were just about out of dessert when Ace heard a low moaning sound. Deep, neither one of them. Ace looked at Marco sharply. "There are no dragons in this volcano, right?" he asked. Marco blinked widely and said he hadn't smelled or heard any before. And there were no recorded dragon cases in this kingdom.

But Ace stood up, getting a bad feeling. He walked into the caves, peeking his head inside until he heard a shrieking noise and backed away. He didn't get far before a black dragon the size of a horse ran at him. Ace shouted and fell on his butt, erupting into red flames while Marco was in blue next to him, helping him up.

At this, the beast stopped and cocked its head. It walked closer before it made a loud warbling noise. Ace was frozen in place before the dragon stopped right in front of him, blinding blue eyes gazing deeply into his own brown ones. Ace put a hand out slowly, Marco seeming to not like this, but his hand was laying on the front of the dragon's head. It was hard, but not hot at all. He added another hand and moved them to the sides. "Beautiful," Ace sighed. The dragon backed up a bit, and Ace got down and pulled the nearly empty basket up before taking out the last of the cookies and holding it out, far from his body, so the dragon could try it if it wanted.

It sniffed it, looking suspicious before it ate the sweets out of Ace's hands. It was gorgeous, so _strong_ looking. Marco was watching in shock. "Ace, wh-what are you doing?" he asked in nervousness. Ace said it was fine. He was sure the dragon wouldn't hurt him.

Ace had never expected to meet a real dragon, but maybe they were stupid for not expecting a dragon to live in an active volcano. It was scary, but exhilarating. He knew he couldn't get hurt too bad, but its claws and jagged teeth were dangerous. The dragon walked closer to him and pressed its face against Ace's.

He was stock still, not knowing what to do next. So he pet it, running his slick hands down it's cool scales. He was starting to get too sweaty for comfort. The dragon suddenly turned and walked away before glancing back at Ace, clearly wanting him to follow it. Ace turned to look at a nervous Marco, and held his hand out.

Marco grabbed it and both of them followed their fellow mythical creature through the tunnel that grew pitch black, so they lit it up with red and blue lighting. They could both see the dragon in front of them, and continued to follow it.

They came out an opening into a large room that had a lake of water in it. The dragon waded in, and looked at Ace. It somehow knew Ace was getting uncomfortably hot. The water could be boiling, though. Marco said he didn't think this was a good idea. "When will your next friendly encounter with a dragon happen, Marco? This is incredible!" he said.

Marco bit his lip, but seemed to relent, knowing Ace was right. This was a once in a lifetime experience. Ace walked towards the water and bent to put his hand in. It was actually lukewarm, feeling great on his hot skin. He took off everything but his boxers and walked in. He turned around to see Marco staring at him with a red face.

Ace grinned and invited him in. He clumsily took his clothes off, too, also in underwear and walked into the water. The dragon watched them from one side of the pool of water, seeming curious and not predatory. He sat down and Marco did next to him. "This is awesome. What a good idea," Ace sighed. Marco pulled him over to sit in his lap in the water and comb his hair.

"It's a pretty good date location, I agree. I can't believe you made friends with a dragon," Marco said, though worry still laced his voice. Said dragon swam over and got up right in their faces, and grabbed Ace's arm in its clawed hands and pulled him away from Marco and across the pool.

Ace burst into laughter and Marco scowled. "Looks like you have competition," Ace said, now sitting with the dragon on the other side of the pool. It laid its head in Ace's lap. Marco wasn't happy and walked over. The dragon moved its tail and splashed a bunch of water on him, knocking him down into the water completely.

The freckled teen held in a laugh. Marco's face was bright red, in embarrassment or anger. "There's no need to be jealous," Ace said to the dragon lightly. "I love him." Then he gasped, eyes wide in horror at what he said. He put his face in his hands, not wanting to make eye contact. He didn't want to push Marco away. But he knew he loved him.

"I love you, too," Marco said in a shocked voice. Ace's head snapped up and he looked at the prince, hair a wet mess and eyes wide, but cheeks flushed red with a hidden smile. Ace stood up, and the dragon let him walk to Marco. He put his hands on his chest, looking down. "I love you, Ace."

He looked up and Marco took his face before kissing him. The dragon slapped its tail at them, splashing them and knocking them into the water. Both of them started laughing. Ace really liked this dragon. He'd come visit it again some time, he swore.


	6. So Much In So Little Time

**ChibiChim164: The dragon is not Luffy, but who knows if he'll make an appearance later?**

**Anime_Moon00: Thank you! Spade was fun to write. Such a clingy and jealous dragon. There's more fluff to come, though with some emotional parts also. You can't go through years of child abuse and not have some insecurities. :(**

**Otaku_Girl2176: Thanks! I went through a dragon phase, and have like, 3 stories with dragon Ace left to post. And they're all so different! I also went through a demon phase, too lol.**

#### Black dreams: I'm glad you like it. Spade was so fun to write. Has such an attitude and is so clingy. 

#### PinappleOnFire97: I love making Ace and Marco all fluffy and romantic. They're both so sweet and loving to one another <3

* * *

When Ace got back home, he was no longer wet from the flight, but was smiling widely. He walked onto the property, not risking landing there since it was almost dinner time. They'd spent two hours there and back and three hours in the volcano with the dragon, who Ace named Spade. He didn't know if it was a he or she, but he'd just dub it a he.

Marco and Ace touched wings the whole way there, and for some of it, Ace stopped flying and nestled onto Marco's back in the air in a form of cuddling. Marco had no problem with it and cooed happily. He was holding his shoes and walking barefoot. When he got inside, everyone was staring at him.

"Where the hell have you been?" Stelly demanded. Ace simply replied he'd been on an adventure that was none of his business. Alvida said he needed to go to the market. He asked why they didn't do it themselves. "We were too busy dealing with somebody annoying! Somebody looking for you!" she snapped.

Ace raised his brows and asked who it was. "Some man with a pompadour and an annoying attitude. He searched the whole property for you!" Ace snorted, but then remembered it had to have been Marco's brother. Well, he wasn't worried.

"I'll be here if he comes again," Ace replied. "But I'm tired, and I'm not going to the market," he said, and hurried upstairs to write all about his day in the journal. Marco loved him. He smiled brightly at the thought, and scribbled everything in his journal.

Just to be prepared, he'd been hiding the journal in the rafters since it had damning records of his and Marco's doings, and he couldn't let that get out to anybody. He wrote in detail, everything. He even drew a sketch of Spade. He ate dinner enthusiastically, seeing that they didn't need to go to the market at all, since they had plenty of produce from the garden Ace tended to. He wasn't sure why they wanted to go to the market. Well, wanted him to go.

It couldn't have been anything too important. He ate with Chopper, feeding him apples happily. It was the best day he'd had in a very long time. He couldn't wait to go visit Spade again. He knew where to go now, to that volcano. After dinner, he bathed and then went to bed. He had trouble sleeping, thinking about everything. It was hard to sleep when a constant grin was on his face.

He woke up at midnight from a huge thud on the roof. He jerked awake, but saw that it was still night time, so Marco wasn't dropping anything off. He laid back down, but then heard a deafening scratching noise above. He jumped up and ran to the window, opening it and climbing onto the roof. Somebody had followed him home, and was now perched on the roof. "Shit," Ace said as he walked to the dragon. "Sp-Spade, you can't be here, buddy," Ace reasoned, unafraid of the dragon. He walked towards Ace, slipping and sliding on the shingles. Ace winced at the noise and damage.

"C'mon, let's get down from here," Ace urged, and dropped off of the roof. Spade followed and landed with a loud thud on the ground below. It spooked the horses badly, and Spade walked to them, sniffing Chopper, who was freaking out. "Wait! Chopper, it's okay! Spade, don't hurt them," he said sternly.

Spade seemed smarter than a horse, and gave a show of understanding at Ace's words. God, he had a _dragon_ at his _house._ What should he do? The creature shoved its face against Ace's, showing almost violent affection. Ace pet his face, and then led him to the field in the back. They had some orchard trees back there, but they were overgrown completely.

He brought Spade there, and said he couldn't come to the house. The dragon gruffed. "I don't want you to get into trouble," he said, rubbing the dragon's snout. "It's nothing personal. You should go back to your home and I'll visit," Ace added, sitting in the grass. He was exhausted, but had to deal with this. "I know you'll be bored here, and I have to sleep," Ace explained.

The dragon wasn't happy and acted offended. "I'm sorry, you take up too much space, bud," Ace replied. Suddenly, the dragon shrunk to the side of a dog. Ace was shocked and then laughed. "Can you stay this size for a long time?" Spade nodded. "Well, then you can come sleep with me. As long as you don't make a lot of noise, okay?"

The two went back to the house, and flew up to the window. Despite Spade being smaller, he still seemed quite heavy, and impossible to lift. Ace made sure the door was locked and then went back to his shitty mattress. The dragon tried to climb up, but the rusted bed frame collapsed instead, leaving the mattress flat on the ground.

He did his best not to get angry. The dragon crawled onto the mattress, taking up quite a bit of space. But Ace did fall back asleep eventually. He woke up to the dragon ripping up the hardwood floor. "Spade, please don't hurt my bedroom," he said. The dragon looked down at the mess and decided stomping on it would somehow fix it. Ace put his hands on his face. "How about not breaking or being rough with anything else inside, okay?" The dragon agreed to this. It flew out the window, and Ace made sure to watch so he didn't go after the horses. Instead, he flew into the woods.

He sighed and heard the thump on the roof and assumed it was Spade again before Marco's head peeked through the window, looking confused. Ace hurried over, avoiding the splintered and broken part of the floor. "Baby, what happened to the roof?" Marco asked, the nickname making Ace blush, but happy.

"A certain dragon followed me home," Ace replied. Marco gaped and then snorted. He apologized. "Yeah, he broke my bed and the floor. Apparently he can shrink, so he decided to stay inside with me."

Marco gave him the basket of foods and sat down with him. "I can't believe he followed you home," he sighed, shaking his head. Ace ate the food happily, and said that Alivda told him that his brother went looking for him the day before while they were gone.

The prince nodded, saying Thatch complained about it all night. And that his step family did not make a good impression. "Apparently Stelly pretended he was the one to save him. Except he doesn't look anything like you. So Thatch got in an argument about how lying was unacceptable, and said he'd search for you instead, since he couldn't trust the residents." Ace snorted. "He hasn't connected any dots, so we're safe for now."

The younger nodded happily. They were talking quietly when Spade flew back through the window with a dead deer. Ace winced when it hit the floor. Spade glared at Marco, rushing at him. Marco put his hand up with a roll of salami in it. "Be nice," he said firmly. He got flicked with a tail and then the salami was eaten whole.

Ace politely asked for Spade to not bring anything into his room. The dragon huffed and went outside to eat his spoils. "This… feels like it'll be one gigantic headache." Marco pecked his shoulder and said that was the consequences of befriending a dragon. "It didn't mean I wanted it as a pet!" he hissed back.

"Maybe it'll be cool having a mini dragon around," Marco said optimistically. Ace stared at him and reminded him _he_ had been the pessimistic one about Spade in the first place. Marco said he would just have to wait and see what happened.

There was a suddenly very loud knocking on the front door. Ace stuffed the last of the french toast in his mouth and walked downstairs, saying he'd be back in a minute. He opened the front doors to see Marco's brother, the one with the big hair, Thatch. "Ace! You're Ace, right? The one who helped me out?"

Ace nodded, pretending he didn't know who this was. He heard a light swearing from the roof, just barely. Hopefully Spade wouldn't come to investigate the noise. He was outside and still eating his meal. Ace would need to dispose of what was left of the carcass so it wouldn't stink and attract flies. Or poison any of the produce depending on where the dragon left it.

"I wanted to say thanks, a lot. I was looking for you in the first place, which is so weird, that you were the one to find me." He talked a lot, it seemed. "Wanna come to the palace with me?" Ace blinked a few times.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly. Thatch said that Pops, the king, wanted to thank him. Marco hadn't told him about this at all! Suddenly he heard, _Stay calm, baby. You should say yes to not look suspicious._ Ace grabbed his head, eyes wide. _You're not crazy. I promise._

_Marco?_

_Yeah. It'll be okay, don't worry._

_O-okay._

"Are you okay? Does your head hurt?" Thatch asked in worry. Ace apologized, said he got a small headache but it went away. He asked why Thatch had been looking for him in the first place. "The prince Marco wanted to talk to you but I never saw you at the ball." He was being very honest.

"Oh. Why?" Ace asked, playing along with Marco's story, who was still on the roof out of sight. It looked like nobody had seen or recognized Ace at the ball.

"Well, we found you passed out in the mud but never got an answer," Thatch replied. Ace heard snorting sounds and started to sweat when he knew Spade was coming around the corner. He bolted away from Thatch and to stop the dragon from exposing himself. Everyone else was still asleep. At least, that's what he thought.

But Thatch had knocked on the door quite loudly. "Spade, please, stay over there," Ace pleaded. Thatch followed, and Spade snarled at him. He screeched and ran back to the porch. "No growling at people. If you can't be friendly with humans, then you can't come here anymore." Instantly his heart burned when Spade showed a look of hurt.

The dragon grew sizes, and walked away. Ace ran after. "Spade, I just don't want anybody to report you. It's not that I don't like you, or want you here, I just want you to be safe," Ace said in a firm voice. He touched the tail. "Please, don't feel hurt. I didn't mean it in a mean way." Spade stopped, but still looked pouty.

Ace touched his face again, gently, giving the dragon a very earnest look. "How about this. What's the smallest you can shift?" Ace asked. The dragon sifted until he was the side of a blue bird. "Like this, you won't be able to hurt anybody, but I can carry you around with me. This would be the safest. But you can't hurt anyone that isn't hurting you. Okay?"

The tiny dragon landed on Ace's shoulder and nudged his head against the teen. Ace looked up with a smile and saw Marco giving him a thumbs up. Ace walked back to the front porch where Thatch was waiting, eyes wide at the creature on Ace's shoulder. "You - a dragon - how?" Ace sighed, and asked that he not tell anybody. "Oh, yeah, I won't. But, how? There aren't any dragons near here!"

"I went on a trip recently and he followed me back. Now what did you need from me?" Ace asked politely. He didn't feel any pain when Spade readjusted himself, his needle sharp claws sinking into the skin. He was so small that it didn't break the skin, so no flames appeared.

"I wanted you to meet Marco. Prince Marco, since you didn't meet him at the ball," Thatch said, eyes sparkling as he looked at Spade. _Doesn't he know you're to be married to a princess?_

_He wants me to be happy. He can be stupid sometimes, as well._

Ace asked that Marco was engaged to somebody else. Thatch frowned, and said that was true. Then he hesitated, before deciding on another reason he wanted Ace to come to the palace. "Still, Pops wants to thank you for helping me. C'mon, it'll be fun! A visit to the palace. And I'll show you around personally," he insisted.

The teen knew it would be disrespectful to decline, and he did want to see the world Marco lived in, so he agreed. "Yay! Let's go now," Thatch said. Ace was confused, and heard Marco's wings flap as he sped back to the palace. "C'mon, you can have breakfast with us."

"But, I'm just a peasant. Why would you want to have breakfast with me?" Man, the royal family was weird. Sending some random kid a suit to attend the ball, getting in a romantic relationship with him, inviting him to breakfast. Was this how royal families usually acted? Well, he'd never know.

Ace said he should get dressed first, not declining. Thatch was a prince, too, and so Ace needed to do what he said. He had been disguising everything as choices, but he knew it was otherwise. Spade went upstairs with him while the others were asleep.

He changed into nicer clothes and then went outside to the stables. "Chopper, we're going to the palace," he said, pressing his forehead to the horse's. "Don't worry Spade, there's no need to be jealous. We can be good friends, too," Ace said when the dragon huffed. Had he imprinted on Ace or something? He wouldn't want him getting territorial over him.

Man, he never expected his life to be this way. Not that he was complaining. Things just got more and more interesting. Spade was not going to stay behind, it seemed. But Ace doubted he'd be allowed in the palace. He brought Chopper out and Alvida appeared.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"The palace for breakfast," Ace said casually, and hid a smirk when Alvida looked furious. She didn't know why, but Ace, and not one of her children, was going to the palace. She desperately wanted to be rich and have connections. She should be happy with her set up at the moment. But Alvida was greedy and wicked.

Thatch was on a black horse, and Ace was nervous. Seeing Marco's home and family. Well, he'd seen Ace's home, but still. He was afraid he'd slip up. He told Thatch Spade wouldn't leave him anytime soon. "As long as he behaves, it's fine to bring him inside." Ace looked at Spade, and the mini dragon nodded, jumped down and landed on Chopper's head.

The horse was uneasy, but Ace told him that it would be okay, and Spade wouldn't harm him. Of course, Chopper was a horse and not as advanced as Spade, so it didn't calm him much until it was a few moments of calm, Spade not acting up at all.

"So, what's the deal with your family?" Thatch asked bluntly. Ace was surprised by this, how forward he was. Well, Marco always referred to him as an idiot. Ace simply said they weren't nice people. Ace asked what it was like being a prince, unable to help himself. He may be influenced by being so familiar with Marco. He had to watch it or he'd be seen as disrespectful. "I don't mean to be disrespectful," he added hastily.

"It's fine! It's pretty cool. The palace is nice and big, everything is comfortable and the food is great! I cook, too. I like to, I'm not forced. Marco's the only one who has real prince duties, getting married to become king, after all," Thatch explained. Ace nodded along, excited to see Marco's home, but nervous to meet the king.

Marco had said the man was perceptive, but that it was a miracle he hadn't gotten caught yet. So Ace would need to be especially careful. The ride to the palace wasn't too bad, even though Ace was very nervous.

When they got there, Thatch led him to the stables. He was nervous and let it show. Spade walked onto his shoulder, seeming like he could sense Ace's nerves. It calmed him a little bit. Maybe having a dragon visitor wouldn't be so bad. He pet his head. "Make sure to not cause trouble inside, okay?" he asked quietly.

Spade nodded obediently. Thatch was watching him out of the corner of his eye before Ace put up Chopper with the other horses. He told him he was a good boy, and he started to eat some hay. Thatch excitedly led him inside, and Ace was wringing his hands nervously. Maybe this was a bad idea. What if he caused trouble for Marco?

 _I'm going to try and act distant, okay, baby?_ Marco's voice asked. Ace liked him calling him that. Ace said he was fine with that. The prince told him to not take anything personally, that he loved him.

 _I know. I'll be fine,_ Ace replied. Thatch led him through the halls and it was very early. There were guards stationed around the castle, and their job looked boring. When the two walked through the kitchen, Ace was very nervous.

"Breakfast was already served, but not long ago!" the pompadoured man said excitedly. Ace thought he looked Marco's age. So, young. But older than Ace was. He followed him into a huge dining hall, but only some of the table was taken up. Ace saw Marco sitting next to Vivi and talking. The king was at the head of the table.

They were all sitting close, not spread out at all. When Marco saw him, he looked at Thatch in disapproval. Ace stopped and bowed, Spade easily moving to stay balanced. When Thatch loudly introduced Ace, he swallowed nervously. He saw Vivi glance at him curiously and then her eyes flicked to the side to see Marco's faux reaction.

"Sit, sit, eat something, the food is wonderful," Thatch insisted, pushing Ace to the table. There was another man there, looking to be younger than Thatch, but again older than Ace. Izo, the smarter one. Ace had to be careful around him. When he saw the king staring at him, he grew even more nervous.

Then they seemed to notice Spade and were shocked. Whitebeard looked baffled. Ace sat down on the chair across from Marco. He wasn't hungry, already had stuffed himself with food Marco had brought him, like every other day. He was given a plate and was told to get what he wanted.

"Ace, thank you for helping Thatch," the king said. Ace nodded nervously, saying it was the right thing to do. "I heard you met Marco before."

Ace shook his head. "I was asleep. I'm sorry for troubling you, prince Marco," Ace said in an awkward voice, imagining that he didn't know Marco at all. Marco assured him that he was fine with it. He didn't mention the ball at all. Ace congratulated them on their engagement before falling silent.

Whitebeard was staring at him, and Ace was getting scared of getting caught. But the king then spoke to him directly. "Are you related to Gol D. Roger by any chance?" he asked. Ace was surprised. He nodded, replying that he was his father. "You look exactly like him at his age," the kind said with a smile. "Tell me, how is he? We were friends when we were young, as he often visited me in the palace."

Ace didn't want to break the news to him, but he wasn't stupid enough to lie. "He died eight years ago. So did my mother," Ace said quietly, a look of sadness on his face as Whitebeard froze and looked so _sad._ Ace felt bad.

"I see. I am sorry for your losses," the ruler said. Then he glanced to Spade, who was looking at the food in interest. Ace gave him a piece of bacon, cooked perfectly. "How did you become friends with a dragon?" He actually didn't sound surprised. A hint of sadness was still audible in his voice, but he sounded thoroughly interested.

"I found him in a mountain I was exploring and he just latched onto me. He followed me home after that," Ace said as the shrunken dragon ate the bacon. "He seems kind of territorial about me, though." Marco laughed inside their minds. Ace hid a smile. He felt he was doing alright with the faking.

Izo was staring at him closely. Very closely, and Ace tried to ignore him. The king said he hadn't heard of anyone befriending a dragon in decades. "How is Rayleigh? He was close friends with Roger later." He said the father's name sadly.

Ace had heard about Rayleigh, but had never met him. He'd moved to another kingdom to be with the person he loved, and Ace had never met him before. It was too bad. Maybe he could have taken him in instead of being trapped with his step family. He just nodded. "Did you ever meet him?"

"No," Ace replied honestly, still eating, even if he was too full and started to feel a little sick. Marco knew he ate a lot and so he brought a lot of food with him in the basket every morning. The group made small talk, Marco not speaking much, with Izo staring at the youngest closely. He was thoroughly uncomfortable. Vivi looked at him often as well.

_I'm sorry this is so uncomfortable._

_It's not your fault. Izo is worrying._

_I agree._

Whitebeard seemed very interested in Ace, asking him many questions about himself. Ace answered all of them, truthfully. When he was asked about his family, Thatch was the one to answer. "They're totally rude people. I don't know how you can stand them!" he exclaimed.

Izo scolded him for being rude. "It's true," Thatch insisted, but apologized to Ace. He waved it off and said he agreed. They weren't good people at all. He didn't go into detail, and especially not how he responded to their cruelty by being a little shit as best as he could be.

After everything was eaten and Ace was close to vomiting, Thatch offered to show him around the castle. The teen said he didn't want to intrude. He was fine with not being shown. Thatch insisted, and Ace couldn't turn him down. But Izo stepped in. "Just because he's a citizen and you're a prince doesn't mean he should be forced to do something he doesn't want to."

Thatch pouted, and Marco was watching with curiosity. _You can be shown around if you want to. They clearly know you won't do anything with knowing where everything is._

Ace just asked why he wanted Ace to stick around. "Cause you're so adorable! And I want to get to know you more." Ace flushed at that, and he saw Marco barely hide a laugh. But it barely showed before his face was straight again. Izo scolded Thatch again for coming across as rude. But Ace sighed and said he could be shown around.

Whitebeard said, "There's no need to be so nervous. You can turn him down if you wish. Nobody will force you." Ace had already seen some of the castle, and while exploring would be fun, he was feeling very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

"Um, I'd like to pass," Ace said, not making eye contact. _It's okay, I promise._ Thatch moped, but nodded. Spade was resting on his shoulder easily. Izo said he'd show Ace out, which the teen wasn't happy about. He wanted to leave to get away from him, not wanting to walk with him to the stables. Not wanting to spend any alone time with him.

But Ace didn't let this show. He bowed to the other royalty. Vivi had said nothing, and Marco had been quiet as well. Ace and Spade got up to leave, and the dragon dropped off of his shoulder and landed on the tile floor, changing into a dog size. Ace looked to Izo, wanting to know if this was okay.

"It's fine if he doesn't cause any trouble," he said in a clipped voice. Ace looked down at the dragon, who gave a nod. He really was so smart it was amazing. He put his hand on his head and the dragon seemed to lean into it. When the two of them ended up outside, Izo stopped him. "Why are you hiding your affiliation with Marco?"

Ace looked surprised. "The prince? What do you mean?" he asked, doing his absolute best to look surprised. Izo said he could see lies a mile away. Ace swallowed nervously. "Plus, I saw you with an orange suit, not a black one, at the ball. You weren't hard to miss, and I don't know how anyone else didn't see you."

_He knows, he's asking me about our relationship!_

_Shit! I'll be there in a second!_

Ace stayed silent. Izo turned around when Marco flew over immediately. He looked shocked to see Marco there. He stood next to Ace with a worried expression on. Izo clearly didn't understand how Marco knew what they were talking about.

"Marco, are you cheating on Vivi?" Izo asked in a cold voice. Ace looked at him, wondering how he'd reply. Izo had said he could detect lies, and it would look terrible if he said he _was_ cheating on his fiancé.

The blue phoenix sighed, and asked that they head some place more secluded. They went to the hedge maze, deep inside. Marco ran his hands down his face. Spade laid on the grass once they stopped in an open area. The middle of the maze. The princes knew how to make it inside, probably knowing how to get out just fine after it being there for so long.

"I'm not cheating on her. She's fine with this," Marco said reluctantly. Izo looked shocked. After all, it was unthinkable that Vivi would be fine with Marco having a secret side relationship. He asked if that was true, or if he was lying. "Do I sound like I'm lying?" he asked. Izo looked into his eyes, and said he wasn't lying.

"I don't understand why," Izo said. Marco said that was something private between them that he wouldn't talk about. After all, Vivi could get in trouble, too, if it was found out. It was her business, who she loved. But Ace was worried, had he messed up? Had he doomed them? He was looking extremely downcast.

Marco said, "It's not your fault, Ace." Ace didn't respond, just continued to look down before he bit his bottom lip. Spade was up immediately and grew to his normal size and bumped his face into Ace's. Izo looked uneasy with the dragon the size of a Clydesdale. He was very large right now. Ace put his hand on the dragon's snout gently.

Izo said, "I won't tell anybody. Not Thatch, either." Marco nodded, not seeming surprised at all. "Ace, do you live with abusive people?" Ace didn't know how he'd figured that out, as he'd avoided saying anything about how they used to treat him before he got fed up and stopped them.

But he nodded. Izo scowled. Marco told him he couldn't interfere. He couldn't invite Ace to live in the castle. "Why?"

Marco looked surprised at the question. "It would look suspicious," he replied honestly. Izo looked conflicted about this. He asked if Marco loved Ace, and the blonde's face turned red. Ace looked away and at Spade, his face a bright red as well. He was uncomfortable, and wished he hadn't come at all. He should have said no. He should have turned Thatch down. This was a mistake, and now he'd caused trouble for Marco.

"I do," Marco said firmly. Izo sighed, and gave a small smile, shaking his head. He said he couldn't believe this situation. "Ace makes me happy. I'll be with him in secret for as long as I can be."

_I want to go home. I'm sorry I messed everything up._

_You didn't mess anything up. Izo is annoyingly perceptive. I'll take you home._ "I'm going to take Acec home, now," Marco said. Spade turned, and walked right through the bushes, leaving huge holes in it.

"Spade, please don't ruin the bushes. We can find a way out another way," Ace said, glad to have a distraction. Izo said he was glad to meet Ace, and that their secret was safe with him. Ace nodded, but didn't look back. When he and Marco got back to Chopper, Ace had tears down his face, and apologized.

Marco looked around before he hugged Ace, saying this wasn't his fault at all, and he didn't want him to feel guilty for anything. "He knew I was lying. I tried so hard," Ace said with some sniffles. Marco rubbed his hands down Ace's back comfortingly.

"He said he'll keep our secret, and I know he will," he said, kissing Ace's forehead. The horses were freaking out about Spade, who then shrunk down and went onto Ace's shoulder. He nodded, but was still upset. He and Marco got onto their horses, and Spade once again went onto Chopper's head, though he didn't seem as scared as he did before.

Marco led his lover and his horse through the grounds and back to his home. Ace hoped so much that Izo did keep their secret or he'd be devastated. He loved Marco, and would be absolutely crushed if they were forced to stop. He didn't know what he'd do if the only person he knew loved him in the world had to abandon him.

He wouldn't be able to stay in that kingdom. He knew that for sure. He'd sell the house and then travel somewhere else, unable to stand being anywhere where Marco had spent time with him. He was weak, running away like that, but he knew that's what he'd do.

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**Spade is here to stay. He was fun to write, so cute and sometimes really annoying lol. See you next week!**


	7. Unanticipated Events

**Otaku_Girl2176: I always write Izo as nosy and sometimes rude. Just how I always make Kingdew the asshole lol.**

**Anime_Moon00: Lol Spade has quite the attitude throughout the story, but loves Ace so he's cute in that way. Some unexpected stuff happens with him soon~**

**Artemispolarbear: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 **

* * *

Marco watched as Ace hurried inside when they reached his house after putting Chopper in his stable. He flew up to his room and Marco heard him shut his window. Marco's enhanced senses could hear Ace breaking into sobs in his room, and a low warbling sound of concern from his dragon friend.

The prince grew angry at Izo. He rode back home, blinded with rage with his brother reducing Ace to tears. Ace was clearly terrified of Marco needing to break up with him. Marco was, too. But he didn't show his fear, even in private. When he reached home, he put Stefan in his place with the other horses and headed inside, ignoring Izo when he was waiting for him.

But his younger brother followed him, and touched his shoulder. Marco jerked away, glaring at him. Izo looked shocked at the look. "You made Ace cry," he hissed. The long haired man winced, and said that it wasn't his intention to upset him. "You were too nosy, Izo. We've hidden it for a reason," he said quietly. Nobody else was in the hallway. Izo insisted he really wouldn't tell anybody. " _I_ know that, but he doesn't." Izo apologized, looking guilty and ashamed.

"I wish you had told me, but I'm sorry I pushed. You're right, I was nosy. I don't know Ace well enough to have spoken to him like that," he said sincerely. Marco sighed, and rubbed his hands down his face. He told him to not talk to Vivi about it, to not ask her a thing about the situation. "I won't."

Then he asked if Marco really loved him. "With all my heart. I _won't_ lose him," he said in a strong voice. Izo nodded, saying he understood and would never do anything else to upset Marco or Ace. The oldest brother nodded, and headed to Vivi to tell her the situation. He found her in their room's bathroom, showering.

He waited outside the room, before hearing her come out of the bathroom. He knocked on the door, and she opened it for him. The princess saw his pinched expression, and her own grew worried. He entered and they closed the door. "What's wrong?"

"Izo knows about me and Ace, but not about you and Nami. I told him not to ask you anything about the situation. Ace is… really, really upset about Izo finding out. I don't know how to make him feel better," Marco confessed. His eyebrows drew together. "It was a mistake bringing him here."

Vivi put her hand on his shoulder. "At least the king showed clear signs that he liked him. Maybe if he got to know Ace more, then he'd be more accepting."

Marco shook his head. "Ace would be constantly terrified about anyone else finding out. He can't stay here. I want him closer, yes, but I want him comfortable. I don't want him to be in constant fear here. How do you and Nami deal with it? Isn't she afraid of getting caught?" he asked. He wanted advice on how to help Ace.

Vivi replied, "She knows I won't let anything happen to her if we're found out. We decided long ago that, if we're ever found out and separated, we're going to run away." Marco looked shocked. "I love Nami more than I'm loyal to my people."

Marco smiled at it softly. He wouldn't run away with Ace, he loved his family too much. If he was told he had to break up with Ace, he'd probably just turn defiant and refuse. He was an adult now. This could get messy someday, but he honestly didn't care. He saw Ace's smiling face in his mind, his red cheeks when he got embarrassed, his laughter. He loved him.

Izo better not tell anyone or Marco would never forgive him.

The next day, Marco was surprised to get a letter from Ace. Since they could speak telepathically, even at this distance, it was a bit useless to send letters, but he opened it regardless, wondering what it was about. He expected something about the dragon or his family, but it was a break up letter in somebody's handwriting that _definitely_ wasn't Ace's chicken scratch that was barely legible.

_I'm fed up with you. You're never here for me, and I'm done with this shit. I don't care about your response, don't send me any more mail or I'll report you to the authorities for harassment. It's over._

Marco raised his eyebrows, and said, _Ace?_

 _Hmm?_ Ace's mind asked, sounding tired even telepathically. Marco had told him the night before that he couldn't bring food to him that morning because he wanted to spend all day with Pops. He'd found him last night, in the library, unable to sleep at all. He looked so devastated, and Marco had been extremely concerned and stayed with him all night.

Apparently, he took Roger's death very badly. He'd never mentioned him before to Marco, so it was strange. He got no information about him by Pops, so he wanted to be with him the next day, all day.

 _Did I make you angry?_ Marco was sure this letter was from one of his family members who had found the pigeons that were clearly messenger birds. They didn't know who they were connected to, but probably just wanted Ace to suffer.

 _No? Why?_ Ace wondered, sounding more awake. Marco explained he'd gotten an angry letter from the carrier pigeons he had. Ace was surprised and shocked, clearly not the one to send it. So, he assumed it was his step brother. _That dick. No, I don't want to break up with you._

Marco smiled, though he knew this wasn't from Ace regardless. He asked how he should respond. Part of him apparently wanted to play along, only to then piss him off when he laughed at his futile efforts. Marco said he should respond however he wanted, as long as nobody found out it was Marco.

_I'm definitely getting revenge after playing along. This'll be fun. It's lucky we can talk like this so you didn't believe that letter._

_I would never just drop our relationship. I'd come to speak to you in person. But I'd probably be a mess about it. I'm glad it's clearly not your handwriting. And it didn't make sense why you would send a letter when we can talk like this._

_Yeah._ Marco asked how life with Spade was. _He left a while ago. He was unhappy with being fed, so I'm assuming he went hunting. The others freaked out when they saw him tiny, they'd shit their pants if they saw him in his normal form._ His voice sounded amused. He didn't seem upset that Spade had left. The dragon seemed overly attached to Ace, so Marco was sure it wouldn't just leave suddenly. Though he could be wrong.

 _Keep me posted on their reactions?_ Ace said he would. Marco debated telling him about Pops' reaction before he decided to. _Pops took hearing about Roger's death pretty bad. He didn't sleep at all last night._

 _I have a couple photos of him if he wants any. I didn't know dad was affiliated with the king._ Marco said he didn't either, and that a photo would be very appreciated. He said he'd send a letter to Ace and then he could send a photo back. _I'll do that. I'm sorry he took it so badly. Now I feel bad._

 _Lying would have been worse, probably. I think you telling the truth was for the best, even if it hurt him. I should go see him again. I'm sorry I can't bring you breakfast today._ Ace said it was fine, and he could go a day without yummy food.

 _Besides, I ate so much yesterday that it should count for today, too._ Marco smiled, said he loved him and that he'd talk to him later. Ace said he loved him too, and the conversation was over. He went to the aviary and found Ace's pigeon, since he hadn't sent anything back from the letter from Stelly. He wrote out a letter asking for the photo.

He should get it soon, Ace always replied very quickly. Marco headed to Pops' room, and found him reading on his bed. He opened one of the double doors and sat next to him. Izo was already in there, sitting in the lounge chair, giving silent company. "Pops, will you tell us how you knew Roger? You've never spoken about him before," Marco asked slowly, gauging his father's expression.

The king closed his book that he clearly hadn't been reading, and nodded. "Roger was an apprentice here. Working as a blacksmith, and then a guard once he turned twenty. He was a loud fella, smiled and laughed a lot. You know when I was a young prince, the country was going through a famine, and it wasn't the happiest of times.

"My father found it improper, but Roger would joke around and spend time with me, making me feel better, happier. We were close friends, even though I was a prince and he was one of the guards.

"He helped me build the maze, saying it would be a good way to distract me or my kids if the famine continued during the next generation. That fool tricked me about the maze and made it impossible to get to the other side before I realized and he fixed it up." The king had a small smile on.

"He left when we were both 24. He told me he'd met a woman in town, and fell in love with her, and wanted to spend his life with her. I had thought he left the kingdom. I had no idea he'd had a child or still lived near.

"I have a feeling he wished to raise his son in a normal environment, and being close with the king of the country may have interfered with that. He did not leave on negative terms, and his lover seemed perfect for him when I met her on the day Roger was leaving. I was so happy for him, so I wasn't upset that he left to build a future with the woman he loved.

"Ace looks exactly like Roger, only he has the freckles of Rouge, his mother. I am saddened to hear that his son is an orphan. And in a bad home life. He didn't outwardly say it, but I could see his hatred when he mentioned his step family. He tried to hide it, but it was there."

Thatch was standing in the doorway, listening as well. "I met them. They were terrible," he said with a sigh. "Ace's step brother claimed he was the one to help me out. They got pretty snappy and impatient with me. Ace was gone all day the day before yesterday, so I didn't get to see him." Izo did well to not look in Marco's direction, though he had to realize Ace had been with Marco, who was gone all day as well.

"It is too bad he seemed so uncomfortable around us," Whitebeard said. "I owe his father a debt for being there for me for all those years. He would be crushed to know what's become of his son's life." The king then wondered why he had married somebody cruel. It didn't seem like him.

Izo said that he may have thought Ace deserved a mother figure, but was fooled. Whitebeard did say he could be an idiot. But that nobody would have replaced Rouge for him, so he agreed that it might have been for Ace's sake. "It's too bad it seemed to have backfired," Izo said sadly.

Marco's mind was reeling, hearing Pops say he owed Roger a debt. Was he talking about inviting Ace to the castle? It would be weird, out of character. But the king may feel like, as Roger's close friend once upon a time, he should help his only son have a happy life. What would he think of Ace being in a secret relationship with Marco? Would he be angry at him?

He didn't know how to feel. He was worried. Worried Pops would be angry with him, banish him, anything terrible for the teen. But Pops wasn't cruel. Though, it was Marco's decision in the beginning to be with Ace, even if the feelings were mutual. The one who should get punished would be Marco. He would make sure that was the situation if they were found out.

"I'm sorry, Pops," Marco said sincerely. The king nodded sadly. Thatch and Marco went to the bed and hugged him. The man didn't shed any tears, he was too stoic for that. At least, not in front of anybody else.

He said he wished he could do something for Ace. Marco didn't know how to respond. Thatch said he could offer to let him stay there. "But he might be treated lowly by everybody, and that's not something I'd wish on anybody. He's already treated like crap, he shouldn't come here and be treated like crap by new people."

Marco and Izo nodded. Marco knew Ace might be treated like what he was: a peasant. He would feel out of place, lonely. All alone in a huge castle. It would be harder for him and Marco to be together in some ways if he came there. It would be easier for them to get caught. Both leaving at the same time to go places would look suspicious.

It was best for him to not stay in the castle, as much as Marco wished they could be closer. How things were now was best. Pops said that they were right, and that Ace would no doubt feel out of place. Thatch said he was only a kid, and could grow used to the castle.

"Roger raised him out of the spotlight for a reason," Izo said. "It may not be his wish for Ace to come here." Marco knew that was a very good point. Roger didn't tell Pops about Ace for a reason. Marco suddenly felt guilty for hiding his relationship with Ace. But he wouldn't say anything about it. He wouldn't risk it in any way. Never.

The three spent the day with the king, and he was so sad. By the next morning, though, Ace's package had arrived. He opened it to see two photos. One was a photo of Roger by himself and the other was a family photo. This one made Marco smile. It was a family photo, captured right after baby Ace had spit up on him and was crying. Roger had a disgusted face on, and Ace's mother was laughing.

_These are great photos Ace. Thank you. Do you have copies?_

_Yeah. I have copies._ Marco asked how it was going at home. _Great! Stelly thinks I'm miserable and I've already come up with a way to spite him. You'll have to send me a package, though. Something fancy and romantic. He thinks that I've not been sent any reply letter. I kept it out of sight, the sending of photos. Spade came back. He's so demanding, I didn't know dragons wanted so much attention. He's causing a ton of stress for the others, and they're terrified of him. It's so awesome._

Marco let out a small smile, and talked to him while he was heading to Pops. he was in a better mood, and some trouble had come up with a prison break in the nearest town. So guards were being sent there. Marco felt secure knowing that Ace's home was far, far from the prison. And he had a dragon to guard him, adding protection even with him being unable to be injured.

Spade was probably the best body guard you could ask for. Ace didn't sound too frustrated with the dragon's clinginess. Which was good, since Marco was sure he wouldn't be leaving Ace anytime soon.

He got frames for the photos and put them inside before leaving to find Pops, scouting him out by scent. Having his phoenix senses were great. Not as awesome as flying, but still very helpful. He found him in his study, doing paperwork. Marco didn't look forward to being king and having to do that.

He knocked on the doorframe, and the king looked up, welcoming him in. "I got something from Ace," he said, his father looking surprised. He set the photos on his desk in front of him. Whitebeard looked at them, and to the family photo, making him chuckle. He agreed when the king said Ace was a cute baby. "I asked him for some photos and he sent these to you."

The king smiled, and thanked Marco. And asked him to thank Ace as well. Marco said he would. He looked back at the photo of baby Ace and his family. It really was a funny picture, Ace throwing a fit in Roger's arms. He had to admit, Roger did look like a friendly guy. He looked like an older and mustached version of Ace, only without the adorable freckles speckled across his cheeks and nose.

-x-

Ace tended to the garden as Spade chewed on a huge bone he assumed was from the arm of a buck. He did act like a very overprotective dog. He was step family repellant, as they never were in sight when Spade was not mini. Even when he was, they were afraid of him. Ace had gone into town and bought a large dog bed and put it in his room, leaving the window open for his dragon friend to come and go.

He wasn't stupid and thought of Spade as a pet. He was a damn dragon, he deserved respect. And he did seem very attached to Ace and did follow what the teen asked, but he did his own thing when he wanted to.

Ace was sitting in the kitchen, eating cookies he'd baked and burnt when Alvida entered. Spade was gone at the moment, probably going to stretch his wings or get something to eat. He could be gone from anytime between minutes and many hours. Ace would be able to smell and hear him when he came back.

He smelled very distinct, and his senses told him that the dragon definitely wasn't a human or normal animal. Alvida entered. "I want you to get rid of that dragon. It's dangerous!" she demanded. Ace told her he didn't control Spade. He'd leave if he wanted to leave. "It listens to you," she insisted.

"Doesn't mean I'll tell him to leave," he replied, chomping on another charred cookie. They definitely didn't compare to anything Marco brought him, but they were still perfectly edible. She threatened to report him and have him hauled away. Ace popped another cookie in his mouth.

"Did you forget he went to the palace with me? They have no reason to make him leave if he hasn't hurt anybody. Even if he did, if he was provoked, I'm sure he still wouldn't be forcibly removed. Besides, this is my house," Ace said in a light voice. He finished the last cookie. Alvida was steaming, and she knew she couldn't get Spade to leave on her own safely.

The dragon had already snarled at her for coming too close to him, she knew better than to approach him, and especially to try and force him to leave.

"Where did he even come from?!" she demanded.

Ace replied that he'd found him in the forest. There was no way to explain him finding him in an active volcano hundreds of miles away. Both from how he got there and how he wasn't a burnt mess after being inside the scalding interior of the volcano. Stelly entered, and sneered at him. "You haven't been getting any more letters recently," he taunted.

Ace glared. "Did you do something? How do you know that?" But, almost incredibly on time, there was a loud sound of something hitting the ground outside the kitchen door. Stelly was still sneering, fully thinking he'd sabotaged the relationship with whoever was sending the letters. The freckled teen went outside and got the package he'd asked for from Marco to further his plan.

He walked back inside and put the thick package on the kitchen table. Not the dining room table, but the smaller one in the breakfast nook. He opened the box, and found an expensive bracelet and a letter. He smiled in relief, and Stelly was looking at the very expensive jewelry in shock. The letter said, " _Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry, and I still love you. Please respond, I want to know what happened."_

Alvida asked who it was from. "None of your business." He put the pretty bracelet on, and it clicked in place perfectly. "I don't know what you did, but you can't sabotage my relationship with her, no matter what you think you can." He wasn't going to let them know he was gay, as saying it was with a girl completely threw them off of it ever being Marco.

Not that it wasn't already unthinkable for Ace to be with the prince who was already engaged. He sensed Spade coming back, and the dragon banging his head on the door. Ace opened it to see he had brought Ace a "treat". The antlers off of a deer. At least they weren't bloody. He'd stopped bringing dead animals to Ace as presents.

"Thanks, Spade," Ace said and patted the side of his face. "I'm glad it's not a dead animal." The dragon shrunk and flew inside, landing on Ace's shoulders. Alvida accused him of turning their house into a circus. "You mean _my_ house? I can have a dragon here if I want. You have no say. Besides, he hasn't hurt anything or anybody. There's no reason he has to leave."

She scowled, but flinched when the dragon turned his sharp gaze on her. Stelly ran from the room. _Thanks Marco. It's perfect._

 _Anything for you._ Ace smiled. Ace purposely left the letter on the kitchen table before heading upstairs, Spade still resting on his shoulder. Mikita completely avoided Ace everywhere, so he hadn't seen her in days. It wasn't exactly something he was upset about. And he was happy that he was turning their lives into hell.

They deserved it, and Spade wasn't doing anything that would hurt them. He snarled a few times, but that was it. He didn't attack the humans or animals on the property. He left the chickens alone, their source of eggs. He left the horses alone, as well. He was perfectly safe to have around, at least to Ace.

It was that night that Ace heard noises and voices outside. Spade heard them, too, sleeping on the huge dog bed next to Ace's collapsed bed. He went to the window and looked outside to see multiple men, all in what looked like prison outfits. There was no point in going outside if they passed through the property.

But it was best to alert Marco. _Marco?_ It was a while before he responded, which made sense, as it was 2 AM. He asked what was wrong. _There are a bunch of men outside. Look like prison outfits._ He was completely calm, unafraid of them. He had Spade and his own powers. He watched out of his window as they hurried over the fence and onto the property.

Should he tell the others? Maybe if they turned all the lights on, they'd leave. The outside porch lights were on, showing them.

_What?! Stay inside, don't leave the house! The authorities will be there soon!_

_Alright. I'll stay upstairs. Spade doesn't seem too concerned._ Then he heard the sound of broken glass. _Nevermind, I just heard glass breaking. What do I do?_

 _Don't leave your tower!_ Then Ace heard shouting from below. The ransacking of things. The prisoners were robbing them. Well, Ace had everything important to him in his room. Everything else was decoration or useless to him. He locked his door, but kept watching through the keyhole. Spade walked up to him.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said quietly. Then he heard Alvida screaming, followed by the other two. He hated them, but he wouldn't let them die. He would kick them out of the house, leaving them homeless, but he didn't wish death on them. He told Marco that the others were screaming and he was going to go downstairs. The prince was very against this.

Ace reminded him that he was a phoenix and had a dragon with him. If he was in any danger, Spade would not hesitate to act. Ace crept down the staircase, Spade a step behind him, being obedient and quiet. He was in small horse size, small enough to fit through a doorway. He peeked in the hall and was still hearing shouts and broken glass.

He sighed and hurried down the stairs. He picked up a candle holder and found three prisoners were ransacking everything. "Oi! Get the hell out of here!" he shouted, startling the other three. A knife was pulled on Ace, and Spade shoved him out of the way and roared at them, deafeningly loudly. Loud enough to make the windows rattle, but not shatter.

Two of the prisoners passed out while the other managed to run. Ace hurried to the passed out guys and ripped apart a blanket on the couch and tied their hands together tightly from behind. Ace didn't ask if his step family was alright. He didn't care if they were injured, but they weren't dead. He looked at the mess they made.

He sighed at all of the broken glass. He was barefoot, so he put his boots on by the door, where there was no broken glass. Spade seemed to feel the situation was salvaged and turned into his small form and perched on Ace's shoulder.

Ace dragged the two men outside, both still unconscious. He was surprised when multiple horses, guards and police, appeared on the main road. Ace showed them to the two prisoners, though the third had disappeared. _You okay?_

 _Yeah. Spade scared one off and the other two passed out. They made a fucking mess of the house,_ Ace thought sourly. He would clean it up in the morning. The police took the prisoners in the carriage that they were put in. It seemed a few went after the third prisoner when Ace gestured which way he went.

He walked back inside and sighed, walking over the crunching glass. He turned to the other three, who were shaking. "You're helping me clean this shit up tomorrow," he said harshly and then went back to his room. He was proud of how damn calm and collected he'd been. It was awesome.

Spade jumped off of his shoulder and ran to his bed. "Thanks, Spade. That was awesome," he praised, roughly rubbing his head like the dragon seemed to like. The door was closed and locked, and Ace closed the window since it was pretty cold.

The next morning, Marco dropped the food off on the roof while Ace was working to clean up the broken glass with Mikita. There was a lot of it. The windows would need to be replaced, so he'd go into town later that day and get some repairmen. They had enough money to afford it. The other three were shocked at his behavior last night. How calm he'd been.

"Why were you so calm?" Alvida asked in suspicion, unsurprisingly not helping her children or Ace in the cleaning.

"I saw them outside before they got inside, and I had Spade with me. You're lucky he was there," Ace said back, dumping the shards of glasses in the trash bin. He popped his neck and then said he was taking a shower. Spade left to go hunting, flying out of the broken window before changing into his full form and flying off.

_How are you?_

_They made a fucking mess. I have to go into town and request some repairs for the broken windows and door handles. I'm frustrated._

_I know, baby. I'm sorry we didn't catch them before. They shouldn't have gotten to your house, though. The prison is far from where you live. But we should have someone patrolling the area just in case any of their buddies come looking for them._

_Thanks, that would be appreciated. I'm just glad Spade was there or they would have gotten away or exposed what I am from a wound healing. They were brandishing knives. I'm sorry I scared you._

_Not your fault. I'm just glad the police and guards got there in time._

_Yeah. Me too._

After he went into town to the repair shop and gave them the money to repair the house, he went on a flight with Spade. They both went into the forest and flew off, Ace as a phoenix, much, _much_ smaller than Spade in his full form. They flew far from the house, far from the city, out of the kingdom and to the dragon's original home.

They entered the volcano, Ace looking into the lava below. He wondered if he would die in the lava. Would it kill him before he could regenerate? Well, he wasn't stupid and would test it out. He followed Spade to his home cave, and found that there was a deeper place than he and Marco hadn't found.

He watched Spade go through a smaller tunnel. Ace followed him inside, and saw a big, cracked and broken apart egg. It didn't look very old. Spade walked to it, and it clicked for Ace. Was Spade actually a baby? This egg wasn't much smaller than he was now. It would explain why he was so clingy to Ace.

"Spade, are you a baby?" Ace wondered. The dragon paced back and forth in front of what Ace assumed was his egg. He walked closer and saw there was something wedged into the wall. Ace climbed up onto a rock and looked at what Spade couldn't get, but clearly wanted. He dug his fingers into the hole and pulled out a little green jewel. He opened his hand and gave it to the dragon, who took it and swallowed it. Ace wondered if he was supposed to do that. Then the dragon suddenly bit Ace's arm. He hissed and yanked it away. "The hell?!" he demanded.

The wound was healed in red flame. The dragon hadn't seemed angry, but the bite had been sudden and painful. Ace wondered if he'd made the dragon angry. But then a mark appeared on his arm, like a tattoo. He tried wiping it off, freaking out at the unknown situation. Spade really didn't seem angry and walked forward to rub his side against Ace's chest, knocking him back a bit. He was still in his original size.

He didn't know what the tattoo was, or what it was for. Did the dragon mark him or something? But why? And what would it do? "That really wasn't nice. I'm not happy with you right now," Ace said sternly. Spade deflated it seemed, eyes downcast. But the bite had really hurt. And now he had some weird mark. He was alarmed.

Though Spade looked ashamed, he did not run away. Ace sighed and looked back down on the mark. It was just two rings with a rhombus shape in the middle. He had luckily been wearing a short sleeve shirt on so the bite didn't ruin it. Spade was looking deeply ashamed, so Ace thought it was something he didn't know would upset Ace. But why? What was the point of this?

"C'mon, let's go for a swim," Ace said, and Spade ran out of the little cave, Ace looking back at the large egg one more time before he went to the pool, sweating profusely. He wished Marco was here. It was so nice, being with him there. Even if they were both sweating bullets, it was nice. And the pool was nice too, even if Spade didn't like them being there together.

He blushed when he remembered Marco told him he loved him here. And he saw him in his underwear. Ace wouldn't lie and say Marco wasn't incredibly attractive. He was muscular, more than Ace. He wasn't skinny, but wasn't as big as Marco was. Height wise or muscle wise. He went in the pool, sitting in the shallower area while Spade swam around.

The dragon came up to him and nuzzled his face, pushing him back a bit. He was sure Spade didn't understand how much bigger he was than Ace, which was why he was rough sometimes. It was becoming clearer and clearer that he was a baby. He couldn't be too impatient with him, it wasn't fair. He patted his head with a smile. He couldn't help but forgive him about the bite, even though he was annoyed about it still.

_Where are you, baby?_

_At the volcano with Spade. I found a large egg, and I think he's a baby._ Marco was surprised at this due to his size. _He also bit me and now I have some tattoo on my arm. I don't know what it's for or why it's there, nothing weird has happened._

Marco sounded shocked and worried, but said he didn't know why the dragon would do that either. Little was known about dragons since they did their best to avoid humans. Well, besides this one. Ace wondered where his mother was. Was he alone? Was he an orphan like Ace was? He rubbed his head softly.

_Tell me if something happens with the bite._

_I will._

_Can we go to the meadow tonight? This time of year has tons of fireflies in that area,_ Marco said. Ace smiled and said he looked forward to it. And he'd ask Spade to not come, too. Marco said he looked forward to it, too.

After about an hour or staying in the volcano, he got up and dressed. Spade hurried out of the water, too. Ace turned to him and put a hand on his face. "If you ever want to visit here, I won't be hurt. I want you to be happy. I really like you, but if you ever want to return, I'll understand. And I will come visit. I promise," he said in an earnest and sincere voice. Spade just bumped his face into Ace's chest, but not hard enough to make him stumble like usual.

When the sky turned orange with the sunset, Ace was heading to the meadow. He'd asked Spade to give them alone time, and the dragon flew away. He saw him fly directly to the mountain that had the crystal cave that Ace and Marco had visited multiple times since the first time.

He found his lover with a blanket and basket. He hurried over and sat down after landing lightly on the grass. He did start to see fireflies, but they weren't super visible right now. Not with the bright sunset and orange and pink sky slowly turning purple and blue. Marco smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him.

"How are you?"

"Fine. Still nothing weird with the mark, so I'm glad about that. And I'm happy to see you." It had been a few days since they last saw each other. Marco said he was happy to see him, too, and was sorry he hadn't been with him for a few days. Things had been busy, apparently. "It's okay, I understand," Ace assured him.

Marco asked to see the mark, and Ace rolled up his sleeve to show his tattoo. Marco gently took his arm and looked at it. He wondered what it was, why it was there. "I don't know. Nothing weird has happened. I hope nothing does," he replied. Marco leaned forward and kissed it, asking if it hurt. "No."

"That's good. I brought a good dinner," Marco said, and pulled out the food. It did look and smell delicious. A full course meal, not random foods to eat. He also had a bottle of cider, since Ace had said he really liked the taste of it. The prince laid out all of the food, and they both ate happily. Ace loved all of the food he'd brought.

"How're things with Vivi and Nami?" He didn't want them to get caught. Marco had told him how in love they were, and he'd be very sad if they got in trouble for it. Ace said they sounded really cute. Marco said Vivi thought the same thing for both of them. Ace blushed. "I'm happy you were interested in me even if it was from me falling in the mud. I haven't been so happy in a long time. You gave me determination to not let anybody walk all over me anymore. So, thank you," Ace said shyly.

Marco smiled softly, and leaned forward to kiss Ace, making sure to not touch any of the food. He pushed him down on the blanket. Ace looked nervous and uncertain, and Marco realized he might think Marco wanted to make love.

"Don't worry. I won't push you," Marco said softly, and Ace instantly relaxed. They kissed, Ace's hands on Marco's back, bunching his shirt's fabric into his hands. Marco moved from his lips to the freckles on his cheeks before he moved his lips down to his jaw, getting a moan. Apparently the jaw felt good.

He kissed that area, seeming glad to make Ace feel good but comfortable and safe at the same time. Ace completely trusted him to not do anything he didn't want to do. And he knew that it was probably a bad idea to let Marco continue to give hickeys on his clavicle. But he didn't really care much if anyone saw it.

The sucking on the skin made him tingle, and he pulled Marco up to kiss again, before he got his breath and pointed out their food would get cold soon. Fireflies were all around them now, making the meadow look absolutely beautiful and magical.

Marco pecked his lips on more time, his face as red as Ace's, and they went back to eating, both smiling.

Ace and Marco flew to the woods behind Ace's house so they weren't seen, and Ace walked onto the property. He found Spade sleeping in the grass behind the house. Marco kissed him lightly and wished him goodnight sweetly. Ace nodded and returned the sentiment before he went inside.

The hickeys were just below his shirt collars, so nobody would see them but him if he looked in the mirror without his shirt on.


	8. Big News, Big Problem

**Otaku_Girl2176: I always write "make love" in soft romance ones cause it sounds so much more personal and caring than "have sex" or "fuck". There's a lot more to come with the dragon bite! And in this, neither can lay eggs lol. No mpreg of any type in here, if that counts as mpreg? I mean, they're men and laying eggs is like having a baby right? lol.**

#### Black dreams: Thank you! So much more to come with the dragon bite, it's exciting later! I hope it's a better year, too. Not starting out too good, though. Hopefully will get better.

* * *

Marco sat in the meeting room with his family and Vivi, all of them looking nervous. Pops seemed worried, so they were worried as well. He began almost immediately once everybody was seated. Marco held Vivi's hand to reinforce the notion that they were together to Pops and Thatch, even though Izo knew that it was a lie.

"King Riku has sent me a letter and photos of a troublesome issue going on in his kingdom. He was unable to make it to give us the briefing in person, so he sent a detailed letter. Apparently, there is a dangerous man going around Dressrosa and hunting down anything related to magical creatures.

"Both Marco and Ace's dragon are in danger, so I don't want you leaving the palace for a while," he said, looking at Marco. He was very upset at this, unable to see Ace, then. But he was more troubled by the fact that he was in danger, which meant Ace was in danger. He was a phoenix, too, after all. But he couldn't get Ace into the castle for that reason because nobody but Marco knew about what he was.

But Pops fixed that, and said he'd like to take care of Spade there, just as a precaution. And Marco knew Spade was a baby, despite his large size. It would be worrisome for a baby dragon to be flying off daily, and in a house that was easily broken into by prisoners.

"Who is it?"

"A man named Teach, but he goes by Blackbeard," the king explained. "We'll have patrols and authorities searching the forests daily and nightly just in case. I'd like one of you to go contact Ace and tell him about this." Marco offered to go, as he'd get there faster than on a horse. "That is fine. I'd like you to do it as soon as possible.

"King Riku told me that Blackbeard is very strong, and has slayed the dragon living in their mountains." The others gasped, shocked that he'd killed a dragon. Marco announced he was going to get Ace now. He would be coming too, as Spade would definitely not stay there without Ace.

Pops nodded, and Marco hurried away to find Ace. He flew to the house and landed in the window of Ace's room, where he was still sleeping. It was early, after all. He walked to Ace, Spade jerking awake, but they laid his head back down when he saw who it was. "Ace, baby," Marco said, gently waking his lover up.

The teen shot up, sitting up and banging his forehead into Marco's, though neither of them hurt by it. "Marco?" he asked with a wide yawn, and then questioned what he was doing there so early. He didn't usually drop food off that early.

Marco sat on his bed, seeing the hickeys he'd left the night before along his shoulder and collar bone. He blushed at the sight before getting his thoughts back on the situation. "Pops requested you come stay in the palace for now. There's a dangerous man going around slaying magical creatures. He killed a dragon. I'm homebound for safety reasons."

"So you won't be able to come to me?" Ace asked. Marco nodded sadly. Ace got up and started pulling things out of the dressers. Marco asked what he was doing. "Packing. I… don't want to be restricted from seeing you, even if the palace makes me uncomfortable and nervous."

Marco looked at him with such love. Ace had immediately accepted going to the palace as long as he wasn't separated from Marco for a while. He was putting himself way out of his comfort zone only to not have to miss Marco for a long period of time. Ace collected his things and got dressed with what seemed to be the last outfit in his dresser.

He had a large sack in the room. He stopped and looked at the floor, looking like he was contemplating. Marco asked what was wrong. Ace shook his head, saying it was nothing, and then pulled one of the floorboards up and started collecting things. Then he flew up to the rafter and pulled out a piece of paper.

"It's my dad's will, giving me the house. I don't want to risk them searching my room while I'm gone." Marco was sad that Ace had to hide precious objects, the things under his floor, because he didn't trust his step family to not harm them, like they'd ripped apart like the suit Izo had made him.

Ace went downstairs and banged on Alvida's door. She took awhile, so Ace banged on it again. She yanked it open, looking tired and angry that Ace woke her up so early. Marco was standing in the hallway, out of sight but able to listen to the conversation.

"I'm going to live in the palace for awhile. Don't damage the house while I'm gone," he said in a flat voice. Spade was resting on his shoulder. Alvida clearly didn't believe him, and was laughing in a rude way.

"And why would you go to the palace? Hmm?" she asked, sounding cruel. Marco decided to step out. He was wearing more plain clothes, nothing fancy. After all, he left home immediately, and the three princes often wore comfortable clothes at home, not anything that looked like royal clothing.

Marco said, "You don't need to know. He'll be staying with us for now." Alvida was clearly shocked by the appearance of the prince. It was strange after all, to have a prince come and decide to take a teenager to the palace suddenly.

"Well, I'm off," Ace said, and went to the front door to get a jacket and his boots. He went out of the kitchen door and got Chopper. Ace said there was no way he'd leave his precious horse there without him to watch him and make sure he was fed and taken care of. He got on the horse, Spade on his shoulder, and Marco climbed on after him.

Alvida was watching from the front doorway, looking furious. Probably because her detested step son was one to be affiliated with royalty for some unknown reason, and not her own bratty kids. Marco didn't like them because of the things Ace told them they did. Well, he wouldn't have to be around them for awhile. However long it took to find Blackbeard. It might actually not be that long.

But nobody knew where he was or where he was heading. It was common sense that he wouldn't approach the palace. It would be suicide.

Marco had his arms wrapped around Ace's chest as they rode to the palace. Spade was staring at him suspiciously. Like Marco would hurt Ace. It was silly, how clingy and overprotective Spade was. But at least he let Marco be around Ace now. But he was a baby, so he might have imprinted on Ace. And he'd bitten him and left that mark. Maybe it was some sort of claim or link. Well, time would tell. Probably. They wouldn't tell the others that Spade bit him.

For two reasons. One, it wouldn't look good that Spade had bitten Ace. And two, Ace had no bite mark or wound from it. It would be obvious that something was off if he got bitten but there was no proof of it. Maybe they'd say Ace had the tattoo all along.

When they reached the palace, Ace was clearly nervous. Marco kissed his neck from behind. "Don't worry. I'll make you feel welcome. I won't ignore you, I can always speak to you."

Ace sighed. "But you'll have to pretend you don't love me," he said sadly. Marco hugged him tighter and swore he'd make time to be with him, show him his love. He soothed him and said everything would be fine. And when Blackbeard was captured or killed, he could go back home.

They reached the stables and put Chopper in it. It was much bigger than the one at Ace's home, and the horse got to mingle with the others. Maybe he'd like it. Though he wouldn't stay. Ace and Marco walked into the palace, Marco having a hard time not taking his hand. This could be very challenging.

Spade seemed agitated, maybe sensing Ace's discomfort, and was in his form that was about the size of a large dog. His wing was pressed to Ace's side, who patted his head affectionately. His arm tattoo was covered by his clothes. Marco brought Ace to the guest room he'd be staying in, luckily in the same hall as Marco and Vivi's.

Maybe he could sneak into Ace's room at night and sleep with him how Nami snuck into their room to be with Vivi. Ace was clearly impressed with the bedroom, leagues better than his cold attic room. He had a big bed that wasn't collapsed. "Spade, no getting on the bed, okay? We don't want to break this one, too. You can stay on it in a little form, but not this big."

The dragon turned into the size of a cat and jumped on the bed. Ace smiled and said that was the perfect size. The dragon flew to Ace and rubbed his head on Ace's leg. The teen crouched down and smiled. "Good boy," he said. Spade really seemed to adore Ace. It was cute.

Ace put his clothes into the dresser, and then sat on the bed, looking downcast. Marco had closed the bedroom door. "What's wrong?" Marco asked sitting next to his lover. He sighed and said he didn't want to see Marco act like a stranger. "Neither do I, baby. I won't act cold, I promise." Ace promised he wouldn't give them away again. "Thatch is no way as perceptive as Izo, so you don't have to worry about him too much."

"What about the king?" he asked quietly. Marco knew he would be harder to fool, but he trusted Marco. He wouldn't believe in his deception. It made Marco feel guilty. But he knew it was worth it, and Pops would forgive him eventually if he learned of Ace and him. But Marco would fight for Ace, even if it was with his beloved father.

Since Vivi had said she prioritized Nami over her duty as a princess, it had inspired Marco to fight for Ace. He would be a nightmare for Pops if he found out. He just hoped Ace would be brave enough to fight with him. Marco didn't doubt that Ace would want to stay together, but he was timid sometimes, and just being around Marco's family made him stressed.

There was a knock on the door, and Marco opened it to see Thatch with a plate of sweets that Ace probably recognized from eating them multiple times. "Yo! I made some sweets as a welcome! So you feel more comfortable here. Hopefully, but we'll do our best," Thatch said with conviction.

Ace nodded and thanked him. He asked what his step family had thought of him moving into the palace. "Alvida was really mad about it. She would rather have one of her kids be allowed to be here."

Thatch shook his head, saying he didn't like her much. Or her kids. "Well, you'll be treated a lot better here than there, I can promise that. Did you want a tour of the palace? Since you'll be living here for now." Ace nodded, and stood up. Thatch gave Ace the plate of treats and he ate them as he was shown around the massive place.

Marco had a feeling Ace would get lost in the beginning. Or maybe he wouldn't even go anywhere other than the essentials, not brave enough to do so. The blue phoenix hoped Ace would become comfortable there, for however long he was staying. Spade looked up at the plate longingly. Marco remembered that Ace had given him a sweet the first time they met, but couldn't remember what it had been.

Ace did as he picked out one of the desserts and gave it to the dragon, who ate it happily. When he showed affection to Ace, Marco noticed a light coming from his sleeve. Thatch was ahead of them, showing Ace around. So he wasn't looking when Marco tapped his own arm, but the glowing had stopped.

_Light was shining through your shirt._

Ace frowned, looking down at Spade, who was still sticking really close to him. He nibbled on Ace's leg, and Ace crouched down. "No biting, okay?" Spade nodded sadly. "Promise?" The dragon nodded.

Marco assumed they had been love bites, since the dragon knew Ace could handle them. The bite hadn't been hard at all, so it hadn't damaged his pants, thankfully. Ace pat his head. Marco was watching out of the corner of his eye.

_He really loves you._

_Yeah, he does. It makes me happy. Two people love me now._

Marco's heart plummeted at the sound of Ace's voice. Happiness, but also disbelief. He'd been shown no love for years. Surely, it damaged him in some way. Being a child and shown only hatred and contempt, based on what Ace had told him about his teen and older childhood years. _You deserve to be loved by many more people, Ace._

Ace didn't reply, just looked at the tiles floor in a sad way. Thatch noticed they had both fallen back, and asked what was wrong. "Spade distracted me," Ace said. It was the truth, just not detailed.

"He seems really affectionate to you. How did you find him again? In the mountain?" Ace nodded in affirmation. "It's so weird. I never thought dragons would be friends with humans. Especially not like this."

Ace replied, "I think he's a baby, despite his size. I visited the cave again with him, and found a big egg shell, and it didn't look too old. He might have latched onto me because of his age." Thatch hummed in interest. He turned around and walked towards Spade, who looked defensive now. He narrowed his eyes at him, and Thatch got the message, but pouted about it. Spade didn't know Thatch, so it made sense he didn't want to be touched by someone unknown.

Well, Ace had been unknown but he got attached to him immediately. Then Thatch noticed Marco was standing closer to the dragon. "Hey, why do you get to be near him?" the chef and prince said in irritation.

Marco replied, "Maybe it's because I'm a phoenix. I don't know." It was a good lie. Spade was fine around Marco because Ace was around him a lot and loved him. He showed it, so Spade trusted Marco, even if he was never affectionate with anybody but Ace. Thatch asked if either of them were afraid of him.

Ace shook his head, saying he knew Spade would never hurt him on purpose. "On purpose? He'd do it by accident?" The teen said that sometimes he was a bit rough with head bumps and rubbing on his legs. "Hmm. I would be scared to have a pet dragon."

"I don't consider him a pet. More like a friend," Ace said with a smile. When he was called a pet, Ace and Marco could both tell he wasn't happy with that term. "He does what I ask, but he still goes off on his own to hunt."

Thatch said that it would be dangerous for him to go off on his own anymore. Especially since he was a baby. Spade seemed sour about this, but Marco had a feeling he understood the situation clearly. It was unsafe for him to go off on his own. He'd heard about Blackbeard slaying an adult dragon, so the baby was understanding about why he would be stuck on the castle grounds.

When they entered the bath house, Ace seemed shocked about how large the tub was. "It looks more like a pool than a bathtub," he said. Thatch grinned and said there were a lot of perks for living in a palace. Marco sent him a warning look.

"Ah, I'm not trying to convince you to stay or anything. I was just saying," Thatch added hastily. Ace nodded, and Spade looked into the tub. It was a tour for him as well as Ace. After the tour of the palace was finished, Marco brought Ace back to his room. He was clearly feeling stressed.

"You okay?" Marco asked in concern. Thatch was there, too, but Marco wasn't showing anything romantic. Ace nodded, and just said it was different. "You don't have to go all over the palace if you don't want to." He nodded again. Spade rubbed his head on Ace's knee, and then shrunk to get onto the bed and seemingly hug the teen.

It was really cute, and Ace hugged him back, a small smile on. Marco thought that they were cute together, and was glad Ace had a strong and very attached bodyguard. He might be a baby, but he was also a dragon with sharp claws and teeth. Thatch asked if Spade could breathe fire.

Ace ran his hand down the smooth back, with only splatters of scales. Most of the skin was leathery besides his stomach. "I don't think so. I think he might be able to use ice when he gets bigger." Marco hadn't heard of this before. He asked how Ace knew that in their heads. The youngest looked a bit alarmed, probably not having meant to say that.

_I… don't know. I just feel like that's what will happen. If you touch his stomach, it's colder than the rest of him. I've never thought that before just now._

_Maybe it has to do with the tattoo. The mark or whatever it was. Whatever it_ is.

Thatch asked how he knew that, and Marco watched the wheels turn rapidly behind Ace's eyes as he tried to come up with an answer on the spot. He settled on part of the truth. "I don't know. It's just what I think."

"Hmmm. Well, it'll be interesting if you're right. At least he won't burn down the palace that way!" Thatch said with a loud laugh. Little Spade kept hugging Ace, but his claws started to dig into his shoulders. Luckily, it didn't break the skin. Ace pulled him away and gave him a smile. Marco honestly thought that their relationship was endearing, and was glad Ace had somebody else to love him.

He deserved all of the love in the world.

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**This isn't a villain centered story, so Teach isn't the driving issue. This is mostly a romance fic with some angst. See you next week!**


	9. Fire and Ice

**Otaku_Girl2176: Teach is a lil-bitch. Love overcomes all though lol**

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**Lot's of stuff happens in this chapter. Enjoy~**

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Ace was laying in the big, comfortable bed in the palace, across from Marco's room, wide awake and staring out of the wide windows. It was nice here. He would admit that. The bath was wonderful, even if, halfway through it Spade walked in, too big, and caused water to overflow. Marco helped him out with laying towels out, not seeming irritated with Spade at all.

The teen had a feeling Marco appreciated the dragon's company. He'd told Ace so many times that he deserved all of the love in the world, and Spade showed that he loved Ace. During the night, he'd left out of the open window after Ace reminded him not to leave the castle grounds. He had come back later with a flower, though it was destroyed. He took the flower happily and laid it on the dresser next to the bed.

So, he had Spade sleeping in the bed with him, but really wanted somebody else. He wanted Marco to cuddle with him, now that there was a bed big enough for both of them. They could never snuggle at Ace's place since one of the step assholes was always there. They rarely all left the house.

He and Marco had snuggled in the meadow, mostly in bird forms while he had a wing over Ace's much smaller body. But he wanted Marco to come visit him, even though he knew he couldn't. They couldn't go on flights together, go to the meadow or anywhere else because they were stuck at the palace for safety reasons.

They didn't know Ace was a phoenix like the prince was, but they expected him to stay on the grounds since Blackbeard might target him to get to Spade. If Ace was in danger, he knew Spade would come in a second. But he didn't want his dragon friend to get hurt or killed. It would break his heart. That this innocent but powerful creature chose _him_ to be with. Losing him would be awful.

He knew the dragon might someday leave him, and though he'd miss him, he'd be happy that he got to live life as a free dragon. Ace wouldn't shackle him to himself. But he felt Spade had done that to him, with the bite that formed the mark. He didn't know what it was for, but he did feel it had somehow at least made Spade feel closer to Ace.

The red phoenix did wonder whether Spade chose him because of what he was. Or maybe he was just the first human he'd ever seen, so he got attached. He probably would never know. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard, _Can I come in?_

 _Yeah._ Was Marco there to snuggle? He didn't want to get his hopes up. He probably wouldn't risk that. When he entered the room, he locked the door behind him. He was wearing loose clothes, sleep clothes. He walked to the bed and laid on the side Spade wasn't napping on. Ace asked if this was a good idea.

"If Vivi and Nami are brave enough to sleep together, I should, too," he said and kissed Ace's forehead. He smiled softly and put his back to Marco, who automatically got in a spooning position. They both sighed in happiness. Maybe this would be the best part of staying in the palace. He wasn't sure, but he'd take advantage of this situation in this way.

When they woke up, Marco hugged Ace to his chest, burying his face in Ace's hair. "That was really nice," Ace said softly. Marco nodded against Ace's neck. He said he loved sleeping with him.

"You're so warm," Marco sighed. Ace smiled and then rolled over. He asked if Marco should go back to his room. He looked at the clock on the wall and nodded. Nami should have left already, since she left before Marco woke up most mornings. He kissed Ace's cheeks softly and then went to the door, closing his eyes and making sure nobody was around before he left the room, closing the large door with a "click".

Spade had gotten out of the bed sometime during the night and was laying spread out on the carpeted floor of the guest bedroom. Ace was much happier that morning than the night before. Eating at the dinner table had been uncomfortable. Whitebeard was talking to him a lot, and Ace didn't really have much more to say. He answered most of the questions, but besides that, didn't contribute much to the table. Vivi smiled at him a lot, though. Ace was grateful for her, that she was okay with Marco being with Ace.

And he thought that she was a wonderful person based on how he'd heard she treated Nami. Marco said that Vivi treated Nami like more of a princess than the other did. It was sweet, and Ace hoped they'd be able to stay together, even if it was to run away. But he wouldn't make Marco abandon his family. He loved them very much.

At breakfast, he started to feel really cold. So cold that his breath was coming out as fog. Nobody noticed but him. He looked to his shoulder and saw mist was coming out of Spade's mouth, too. He hurried, excused himself from the table and ran out of the room. Marco called after him, but Ace ignored it. He had a feeling of the consequences of Spade biting him, whatever the reason was for.

They sprinted out, and Ace jumped onto Spade's back, who flew away as fast as he could. Ace was shivering intensely. He didn't feel safe around anybody else at the moment. He tried to warm himself by rubbing his arms, but nothing helped. Spade started to shiver, too, and crashed into the nearest mountain, far from any town.

Ace hit the rocks hard, slamming his face into it, but it healed over. He saw Spade's arm was snapped in half, but it healed in a blaze of red flames. Ace was scared. The mountain beneath his hands started to freeze over, the same for his dragon. Spade had claimed him and now they shared abilities. He was Ace's dragon and Ace was his human.

He heard Marco asking what was wrong frantically in his head. _I-I'm so cold. I'm scared!_

 _I'm coming!_ Marco shouted. Ace didn't have the energy to tell him to not come. He did want Marco, but he was afraid he'd get injured. He didn't know the extent of the ice's reach. The nearby trees started to freeze over. Ace had tears down his face that turned to ice the moment they hit the ground.

Marco was there, then, holding him from behind. "It's okay. You're okay," he said, rocking Ace back and forth as he got even colder. He saw his fingers turning red and then a nasty blue. Frostbite. He was afraid his fingers would fall off. That they'd be ruined. Marco was shivering now, too. Ace couldn't bring himself to tell him to leave. He was selfish.

Spade whimpered, and had wide eyes as he looked at Ace. It was a look of guilt and shame. Ace reached a shaking hand to his dragon, not blaming him. He didn't know this would happen. If he did, Ace knew he wouldn't have made him go through it as well.

Ace's body started to get covered in frost before the mark on his arm emitted bright light, blinding Ace. It burnt away his sleeve, and Ace could see the tips of Spade's wings and tail emitting the same light.

He was still freezing cold, but saw his fingers that were gripping Marco's arm turn back to his normal color. The frostbite was disappearing, but he was still so cold. Shivering. Marco had taken off his long sleeved shirt and put in on Ace.

The teen was feeling a little better, no longer in pain, but the cold wasn't going away. He was still shivering, his teeth chattering. Marco continued to hold him, and Ace could hear him shushing him, the ringing in his ears fading. Spade was panting next to them. The teen pulled his hands up, and looked at them, still shivering.

He had light blue marks on the tips of his fingers and thumbs. He didn't know what was going on and what would happen next. His arm continued to shine brightly, and after a couple full minutes of fear and shivering, he started to feel warmer. Marco looked like he was freezing, holding Ace to his chest.

Ace grabbed his arms, but could see ice spread from his fingertips. He pulled them away, terrified. His fingers had started to freeze Marco. Would he ever be able to hold his hands again? "Shhh, we're okay, you're okay," Marco said softly, and put his hand behind Ace's head gently. Spade had stopped panting, but his tail was whipping around in agitation and anxiety. He was scared and confused, too.

Marco took his gloves off and gave them to Ace, slipping them over his cold hands. The ice didn't freeze through the leather. He kissed Ace's forehead. "See, you're okay, and I'm okay," Marco said, giving Ace a loving look even though he was still shivering. The glowing from his arm had still not subsided, hadn't dulled at all. It was still bright. Ace's eyes got used to it, and Marco's had, too.

He took his belt off and wrapped it around Ace's arm, hiding the shine beneath the thick leather. Spade still glowed, uncovered. "I'm sorry," Ace murmured. Marco asked why he was sorry, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "For causing you trouble and worry."

"You don't need to apologize, baby," Marco said. "It's not your fault, and it's not Spade's. You both are so freaked out. Besides, I'm not cold anymore, and nothing bad happened. We'll be okay," he assured, kissing Ace's cheeks. The teen sniffled and wiped his eyes.

"Wh-What if I'm d-dangerous?" he asked through the tears. "I got ice from my fingers!" Marco pointed out that the gloves were keeping the ice away. Ace looked at the gloves in devastation. "What if I can't ever feel you again?" he asked in a broken voice. He loved holding Marco's hands, running his hands through his hair. What if he could never do that again?

This was what got Marco, biting his lip harshly as he clearly tried to compose himself. "Well, once you can control it, we can touch all we want." The prince ran his hands up Ace's arms. "Nowhere else is freezing." He leaned forward and kissed Ace on the lips, a soft peck. "And I can still kiss you. For now, covering your hands is not something to be devastated about." He touched Ace's face and said that he could still feel him, even if it wasn't on his hands.

Ace sniffled and nodded. He turned to Spade, and asked if he was able to control the ice. He nodded. It made sense. He was a dragon, of course he got used to it. Was there ever anybody like Ace? Bonded with a dragon and sharing abilities? He had nothing to go off of, no guide. He was scared, and silent, lost in his thoughts. Marco was still holding him, patiently letting him gather his thoughts.

"Do you think there's anybody else like me?" he asked, finally. Marco said he really didn't know.

"We can ask one of the kingdoms that has many dragons in it. Goa is pretty far from here, so getting any information would take awhile, but they're pretty much infested with dragons. Maybe they have someone in your situation. After all, Spade knew to do that with you. Maybe dragons inherently can do that." Ace thought it was helpful to ask other kingdoms. But he didn't want to wait weeks or months for an answer.

Marco said they should get back. It wasn't safe to be out in the open like this, all three of them easily visible from much of the forest. Ace stood up shakily and nodded. He wanted to fly, so he flew between Marco and Spade, both of them much, much larger than he was in his phoenix form.

Once the palace grounds were in sight, Ace shifted and rode on his dragon's back. He wasn't cold anymore. Ace hoped he'd get control soon, too. Man, his step family would be even more terrified! Now, not only is a dragon with Ace, but both have ice abilities? They had to make sure Spade never got injured in front of the others or they'd know something was up, with phoenix flames healing the dragon.

Izo would probably be the one to figure it out first, like he had about their relationship. And so far he'd kept his word, not exposing them to anybody, even the king. When they got back to the palace, Ace made sure the gloves were on and the belt was over his arm. The light was just too bright for comfort. He could see the slight light coming from a sliver of skin that didn't fit under the belt.

"We'll get you something proper to put over that. A belt like that is useless," Marco commented. Ace wanted to hold his hand, but knew he couldn't. But it wasn't like he'd feel his skin with these gloves on. He stopped outside of the open, glass door, and took off his left glove. Marco's left glove. The blue dots on his fingertips were still there.

He touched a bush, and the leaves froze and cracked. He hurriedly put the glove back on, gripping it tightly, the corners of his lips turned down deeply. "Spade, make sure to be careful and not use the ice around other humans, okay?" The dragon nodded. He looked so ashamed. "I forgive you. You don't have to feel bad, okay?" He still looked sad, but nodded again.

Marco put his hand on Ace's shoulder, the most he could touch him with guards around. "You'll be okay," the prince said sincerely. Ace didn't nod, and heard Thatch and Izo running out. They called out if everything was okay. _Can we tell them?_ Marco asked. Ace replied that it would be pointless to hide it, they'd know something was up and would watch him even more closely, which he didn't want.

"What happened?!" Thatch asked, eyes wide in bewilderment with both of them just ditching suddenly.

Ace told them to be prepared for a bright light and took the belt off, showing the glowing tattoo, no longer a pitch black color. It was pretty, in Ace's honest opinion. But it was too bright and Thatch and Izo had their eyes shut at the brightness. Ace tightened the belt around it again. Izo asked what it was. Thatch nodded along.

"Spade bit me and this just showed up. It wasn't glowing until now," Ace said, and gestured to Spade's light, though it was thankfully dimmer and not terribly bright. Ace knew they could cover his tail, but his wings would be troublesome. So, hopefully it stayed relatively dim. Thatch asked why he ran away, though.

Ace looked down, wondering how to answer. "Spade developed his ability. I did, too…" Ace said simply, softly. He looked down at the gloves. Izo looked shocked and asked what it was. "I was right. It was ice. I lost control, so I fled. The gloves seem to be working." Thatch asked if he could see it. Ace sighed, contemplating. Well, maybe he would not pester Ace if he showed him. He took off the left glove and showed the pale blue spots on the tips of his fingers.

"That's weird," Thatch said. Izo smacked his head, telling him not to be insensitive. Ace was blushing at that. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to be disrespectful! I've just never seen anything like this," the chef/prince insisted. Ace nodded, accepting his apology. He looked back down at his gloves. "We can make you some nice gloves and a cover for your arm," the pompadoured prince said.

"Thanks. I'm sorry to cause you trouble," Ace replied sincerely. Spade rubbed his face against Ace's, in full form still since flying Ace back to the palace. Thatch and Izo looked slightly uneasy with his bigger size, but didn't say or do anything about it. The king came out of the palace then, walking to the group of young men. He stood in front of Ace and next to Izo, and asked what had happened, why he'd fled the palace. Ace looked away and explained what had happened, leaving out Marco's comforting actions.

Vivi was watching from the doorway that the others had walked out from. Whitebeard looked very surprised. "I will ask for help from Goa kingdom. They have many dragons there, somebody might be similar to your situation," he offered. Ace nodded and thanked him with a bow.

Ace was immediately made gloves and an arm band, since the mark was _still_ glowing. Spade was downcast, and no matter what Ace said, he still was upset, so the teen eventually stopped saying anything and only gave physical comfort with pets and pats. He really didn't blame him. Yeah, this was inconvenient and scary, but he clearly didn't know this would happen.

The gloves were black, matching Spade's skin and his own hair, and the armband was red. He liked it. Both were comfortable and breathable. And they did their job. Ace's hands were chilly, but didn't seem dangerous.

He was walking to the bathhouse to see if he froze water when he was called by Vivi. He hadn't spoken to her directly yet, mostly her looking at him and most of the time smiling. He entered the nearest room with her, feeling nervous. Spade was on his shoulder despite being upset and feeling guilty.

"Ace, I've heard a lot about you. And I'd like to thank you for being with Marco. I know it was his decision, too, but that decision is letting me be with the person I love. So, thank you for letting Marco be okay with this situation," she said, and then surprised Ace with a bow.

He replied immediately. "I have to thank you for doing this for Marco. He doesn't feel trapped. And… I get to be with him, and I'm really happy about that."

Vivi said, "If we get found out, I have no doubt he'd fight valiantly to keep you. I think you have little to worry about." Ace smiled and thanked her. It made him feel a bit better, even if he was still nervous to be found out by the king. He didn't know how he'd react, and Vivi and Nami would run away. Would it be Ace's fault that Marco would have to choose another princess? Who most likely would not be okay with this situation. That was a worst case scenario.

There was a knock on the door, and he heard Marco ask for Ace. He had a neutral tone, which Ace didn't like but knew was necessary. But then he spoke in Ace's head, which made him feel better. _I have a room to show you,_ he said in an excited voice. A stark difference between his previous voice out loud.

Ace walked to the door and opened it to find Marco there, smiling at him, though not in a way of love. He led Ace to the room he was excited to show him, and they came into a library, with probably thousands of books. Ace looked around in awe, and Marco smiled about it. "We have all genres of books. I wanted to show you in case you get bored being stuck on the palace grounds."

Ace thanked him and asked if there were any fantasy books. He hadn't read one in years. Alvida didn't think books were important, and since he had decided he would no longer be walked on, he hadn't really thought about reading. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. It was only almost a month and a half of being with Marco. But it felt so much longer.

He showed him a large collection of books, and read plenty of obviously fiction books. Marco went to one row and said that those were his favorites. He read them as a teenager, younger than Ace but more advanced than the age he was. Ace picked out one of them, and looked around to see there were couches. They looked fluffy. He sat on one of them. It was so comfortable.

"This is so comfortable," he sighed. Marco smiled and asked if he wanted company, or some peace and quiet. Spade jumped off of his shoulder to rest next to him on the couch. "Some peace and quiet would be nice." Marco nodded, and said he'd come get him when lunch was ready. Ace nodded, and got to reading.

His gloves were annoying, but they were skin tight, so not baggy. Just annoying. He didn't dare touching Marco's favorite book and freezing it by accident. It was important to him and there was no way he'd risk ruining it.

He sneezed and a puff of cold air came from his mouth. He chuckled at it. It was so stupid. He wasn't cold, but took off the arm band to see the mark was still shining, though not as bright as before. He wondered if it'd ever go out, or would shine forever, glowing a bright yellow light, like a lamp would, but brighter.

Curiously enough, Spade's was slowly dimming. Maybe it was because his body was used to the powers, being a dragon and all. What if Ace's body wasn't, and the lit up mark was keeping him safe? Well, he wouldn't know unless there was another like him in Goa kingdom. He'd heard of it in passing, but never that it had many dragons.

The teen had always been more interested in phoenixes than dragons, which made sense, since he was a phoenix. He read for a good two hours, lost in the book. Marco did come get him for lunch, seeing Spade had moved to Ace's lap and was curled up. When he touched Ace to get his attention, as the couch had the back facing the door, Marco shivered.

Ace looked up, and touched his other arm with the forearm of his left one. He couldn't tell with his hands, after all. He was pretty cold. He looked down sadly and apologized to Marco. _Baby, it's not your fault. And being chilly is a small trade to being with you._ Ace blushed and nodded. He reached for Marco's hand before pulling it back, remembering they couldn't hold or touch in any intimate way in the palace, besides Ace's bedroom at night, that is.

Spade jumped off of Ace's lap when he said he was going to get lunch. Spade looked out of the high window sadly. "I'm sorry you can't go hunting. You can still fly around the grounds as long as you don't hurt the horses." His head nodded, but Ace had a feeling he wanted to hunt his own food. And it made sense, since he was a wild creature.

He may behave and listen to Ace, but he still knew Spade wasn't a pet, but a partner. His dragon, but not his pet. More like a bonded creature, family of a sorts. It was a bit hard to explain if anybody asked him. He, Marco and Spade went to the kitchen, where the food was already spread along the table. Ace sat in a fancy chair across from Marco, and cautiously served himself until Thatch told him he could eat as much as he wanted. He served a bit more, but not that much. Spade had a plate with bloody deer meat on it, and he seemed all right with that, and it was a _lot._ Like, the whole deer. He ate in his normal size.

"Thanks for taking Spade's food into account," Ace said earnestly. Izo said he was there for protection, so feeding him as best as they could only made sense. Whitebeard asked how the gloves were working. Ace said they were working just fine, nothing odd had happened. Then he was asked about his arm, if it was still glowing.

Ace just barely lifted it up, and then nodded, even though everyone else had seen the light shine from under the arm band. Thatch said Ace was so cool. _He has no idea,_ Marco's voice said such a loving voice. Ace blushed from Ace, not Thatch, even though that's what everyone else thought.

He wondered how they'd feel about him not only having what seem to be ice powers, but was also a phoenix and could talk to their brother telepathically. What would they think of him then? Maybe that he was a freak, he wasn't sure. He looked at his gloved hands sadly. After breakfast, he tried to bring the dishes to the kitchen, but the palace workers cleaned up before he had a chance. He felt useless, wanted to work somehow.

He went outside after that, and sat on the grassy area, the place where he and Marco had first hung out. He smiled lightly at the memory that was only six weeks ago. It just felt _so much longer._ That he'd been with Marco for years. He hoped they were able to last that long.

The phoenix had a rock in his hands, and wanted to see the extent of his freezing power. He took his gloves off and held the rock, first with his palms and the heel of his hands, not using his fingers. That seemed fine, but when he put the blue marks on their tips on the stone, it froze over. He was able to crack it in half. It froze the inside of the rock, too, somehow.

He touched the grass, and the ice formed a thick frost on the plants. He put the gloves back on. It looked like he'd be wearing them for a while. Hopefully the effects would dim soon. That would make him happy and relieved. He heard footsteps behind him, and saw a guard. He had two thick cigars in his mouth. He didn't look the friendliest. "The king has requested you don't go this far out from the palace." Ace frowned and looked to Spade. He was more than enough protection. "That order goes to the dragon as well." The mythical creature was not happy with being constrained. It was bad enough being stuck on the palace grounds, but being limited on where to go would be annoying to him.

Ace asked if there were guards all around the perimeter. "Yes, but the king's orders are absolute. Go back nearer to the palace." He sounded really rude, but Ace sighed and got up, making sure the gloves were on snugly. Spade glared angrily at the guard, lifting his lips in rage. "Spade, they just want us to be safe. I'll try to talk to the king about it, okay?"

He huffed, but nodded, and the two went back to the palace. "I wish I could fly, too. You're not alone. I'm sure Marco feels the same as well," Ace said. "All three of us are trapped here. So, you can share your frustration with me, but please don't take it out on anything." The dragon agreed to this, and they entered the palace again.

"I have an idea where we can both feel the wind, even if we're not flying," Ace said. He looked up to the incredibly tall roof. "We can go up there," he said, and pointed to it. Spade looked like he liked this idea. Ace looked behind them at the smoking guard and went out of his sight, around a corner so he couldn't see them.

Not wanting to risk exposing himself, Ace climbed onto Spade's back, and he easily flew to the roof, making sure to change sizes when they landed. There was only a small sliver of flat roof, everything else was slanted. Being three tall stories up with a high roof, they did both feel the wind. It was nice, and Ace closed his eyes at it.

"This can be our hiding place where nobody but Marco can find us." _Marco, I just want to let you know that Spade and I are sitting on the roof of the palace._

_Alright, be careful and don't be seen._

_Okay, I will._ It was nice that Marco was fine with this, and didn't freak out about it. Part of that reason could definitely be that they hung out on the roof of his home all the time. He wondered what was happening to it while he was gone. Were they remodeling it? Messing everything up? If they were, he'd kick them out. He held that threat over their heads at all times. It was a dick move, but they deserved it big time.

The two of them stayed on the roof for a while, eventually Ace laying down with his head resting on his dragon's stomach. Eventually, Marco appeared and sat next to Ace. He hadn't been seen. "Maybe this is where we can have time for each other," Marco said. Ace moved so he wasn't resting on Spade anymore, who stayed asleep, and leaned against Marco instead. "How are you?" he asked, kissing Ace's forehead.

The roof was tall and nobody would be able to see them easily. Ace felt safe up there. "Okay. I tried taking the gloves off, but they froze through a rock and I was able to crack it in half. I'm worried about touching somebody and burning them."

Ace was surprised when Marco took his glove off, and touched their fingers together. Marco's turned red, but the blue flames erased the injury. He kissed his pointer finger, and the same happened to his lips. "It's very cold, but worth it," Marco said. Ace blushed and put the glove back on.

He just didn't feel good freezing Marco's skin like that. Then Ace changed the subject and told him about the smoking guard who told him to go closer to the palace, and that Spade wasn't happy about it. He continued to sleep. "It's for his protection, but I understand how he feels. How you must feel, too."

Ace nodded, knowing that was true. Marco then apologized for them not being able to go out on dates or exploring. Unable to be phoenixes together, unable to go to the meadow for some alone time, even if it was only eating good food. "It's not your fault some creep is trying to kill off mythical creatures. This is safer than me being at home, even if it sort of feels like a jail." Marco winced at that, and Ace apologized.

"Never apologize for expressing how you feel," he said in a serious voice. "You can always tell the truth to me, and you know I won't judge." It was true. Marco never thought badly of him when he bad mouthed or annoyed his step family. Even though he was a prince and was close to his own. He'd never been abused like Ace had, but he never made him feel bad about it. Not a single time had he told Ace he shouldn't piss them off, take revenge. He knew Ace wasn't a bad person, even if he could be a real jerk.

He never showed that side to Marco, never feeling the need or want to do it. He only reserved that attitude for his step family. Even with people in town, he wasn't a jerk or selfish. He was friendly to everyone, as best as he could be. He wanted to tell others how he wanted to be treated, even if it had rarely worked.

He had no friends. No family. All he had was Marco and now Spade, too. It was enough, but he did wish more people cared about him. More people went out of their way to talk to him, hang out with him, invite him to parties or gatherings. "Stop thinking about it," Marco said softly. Ace looked up at him in confusion. "I'm sure you'll make good friends and more loved ones once you leave that wretched 'family'."

"That's not fair. You're not allowed to read my mind. I mean emotional wise," he added when Marco raised his brows. But he could only read Ace's thoughts if he wanted him to, and vice versa. "Is it weird that I feel like it's been longer than six weeks?" Ace asked shyly.

Marco shook his head and said he felt the same. Ace smiled lightly. Then he asked, "What would you do… if we got caught?" Marco immediately replied he'd refuse anyone telling him they couldn't be together." Ace asked about when he and Vivi got married. "We'll probably continue how things are now. She loves Nami too much to give up their relationship. Same for me. I know if she was told she had to leave Nami, she'd be gone just like that."

Ace looked down and said he hoped they could be together as long, or ideally longer, as Vivi and Nami. "Me, too." Ace started to shiver, feeling cold, but not freezing. Marco put his arm around his shoulders and rubbed his opposite arm. "Do you want me to get you a blanket?" he asked kindly.

"It wouldn't make much difference. The cold is coming from inside, not outside," the teen replied. "I think I'll just have to get used to it," he sighed. Marco said he'd be there to help. Then they both heard Thatch calling Marco's name. It was easy to hear over the wind on the tall roof. He kissed Ace's cheek and said he should get to Thatch before he started frantically searching the grounds. Ace nodded, and Marco flew down. The red phoenix stayed up on the roof.


	10. Heartbreaking Confession

#### Shadow22739: Thank you! It's funny you mention Frozen cause I literally made a Frozen/OP crossover. Something nobody has ever asked for lol. And it's a mess. _Completely._ I had to change the names of most of the characters near the middle of the story, and then I ended up changing every "her" to "him", so any word with "her" in it now had "him" and it's a complete and utter mess to edit lol. God, I'll probably never post it, though. It was purely for pleasure. lol. 

#### Anime_Moon00: There's some love and feels in this one. And angst. Poor widdle Acey-chan. 

#### Otaku_Girl2176: lol for once I didn't make Kingdew a complete asshole in this one. He doesn't even exist lol. I gave the guy a break from being the villain. I love writing over powered characters, it's so fun. Like, a lot of my crossovers has one of the characters being op and it's so fun. 

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**We got some angst in this chapter. Enjoy~**

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Marco was uneasy. Very uneasy. They'd learned that Blackbeard had killed a phoenix. He hadn't told Ace yet as he didn't want him to panic. How would a phoenix get killed? They were supposed to be invincible! Marco suddenly felt very vulnerable, a feeling he didn't remember ever feeling.

He, and his family, wanted the man captured at once. Why was he doing this? What was the reason? Going around and killing mythical creatures… he'd killed a dragon, which was insane enough, but now he'd killed something invincible, able to heal any injury immediately. Marco had never been almost killed. Could you die before healing? It was a scary thought.

Ace had passed out in the library, so Marco was letting him sleep on the couch in there. Spade had been outside, but following the rules and staying near the palace, flying in circles around it. You could see his shadow outside on the balcony from that.

The family was worried about Marco, too. And Spade, too, but Marco much more. And Marco was more worried about Ace than himself. Though nobody knew what Ace was, not even his step family. He should be safer than Marco, and that was a relief. Maybe Ace could fight back with his ice powers, though.

It had been five days since he came, and they really realized that his ice powers were dangerous when a bird was eating bird seed out of his gloved hands, and when it pecked a hole in them by accident, being a bird with a long and sharp beak, it's head froze and it died. Ace had cried over it. It had been heartbreaking.

Spade, however, had mastered control. He'd tried to cheer Ace up by making him an ice slide, but it only made him feel worse. He had zero control and Spade was already sculpting easily. Thatch and Izo did their best to cheer him up, but it didn't work. Ace was uneasy and shy, clearly afraid of getting caught.

Marco had been spending any time he could get away with Ace. He snuck into his room at night to sleep with him. Spade slept on a large dog bed in his medium size, or on the end of the bed in a much smaller size. It felt good to sleep with Ace. No matter if he got cold during the night and Marco had a blanket around him.

It was sad that he had to keep the gloves on even when he slept. But it was for the safety of others and objects. So he didn't hesitate to wear the gloves. Marco got used to sleeping curled around Ace, and it would be hard, going back to sleeping by himself. Seeing Vivi and Nami at night would make him sad.

But he had started to reluctantly feel a tiny sliver of hope. He knew it was useless to hope, but he just couldn't help it. Pops had privately told them that he wanted to be closer to Ace, doing it for Roger, wanting his child to be happy after he lived alone with terrible people for so long. Even though Ace was shy and closed off, Pops liked him.

He said he saw potential for him, and would welcome him if he ever wanted to work as a guard. After all, once he mastered the ice powers, he might be powerful. Marco wanted him to stay, but not as a worker. Though there wasn't really anything else he _could_ be. He wasn't a prince, and even if Pops thought they were adopting him, he still wouldn't be a prince.

Ace wouldn't be in a "handmaiden" position or anything like Nami's position was at the moment, and had been for years. Besides, Ace would be even more worried about getting caught. They would have no alone time without clearly leaving the grounds together. And Ace would have much of his freedom ripped away by a position in the palace.

He wouldn't be allowed to leave whenever he wanted, fly off with Spade or by himself, or go on long rides with Chopper. He'd be shackled to his duties there. Marco had no doubt he wouldn't want that situation. So Marco tried to squash his hopes.

Because the hopes he _really_ wanted to avoid came closer every time Pops said something positive about Ace. He really wanted Ace to open up to them, but Ace was showing no signs of doing so anytime soon. The hopes that Marco wanted to avoid were those of acceptance to his secret relationship. It would be complicated, perhaps, for Vivi and Marco to stay together once they were both found out. Ace and Nami would still be inside relationship positions. And when an heir had to be born, it might be difficult for Vivi and Marco to be parents when it was clear that they didn't love one another.

The child may get confused or even upset. But, if he or she grew up in that situation, maybe it wouldn't be so strange. Well, they had a long time until then. Pops wasn't pushing them anytime soon, which Marco was grateful for.

Marco was pacing outside the library door, but shouldn't have been surprised when Ace opened it and saw Marco. He would be able to smell and hear him easily. Spade was behind him, no doubt picking up the worry from Ace about why Marco was acting so nervous. "What's wrong?" Ace asked in worry. The prince hated Ace worrying over him, but there was no helping it based on how Marco was acting.

He said they should go inside, and closed the door behind them, heading to the couch Ace had been sleeping on when he had a narcoleptic attack. "Blackbeard struck again. He killed a phoenix," Marco said, getting straight to the point. Ace's eyes widened in horror.

"H-How?" he asked in shock and fear. Marco took his hand and said he wasn't sure how. Spade seemed suddenly very worried, and blocked the door, standing in front of it. Marco hoped he didn't start rejecting anybody being around Ace now, out of pure concern. He wouldn't be surprised, though. Based on how he acted around Ace, he'd be very uneasy from now on until Blackbeard was eventually caught.

"Nobody knows about me, right?"

"No, nobody knows. It would be best for you to hide it… again," Marco said, sounding ashamed. Ace had hidden it for almost his whole life. Now Marco was telling him to do it again. The younger wrapped himself in his arms, though not from the cold. He mumbled that he didn't want to hide it again. "I know. And I'm sorry for telling you this. I just don't want you targeted, baby."

Ace said he knew that Marco didn't want that either, but he still didn't want to hide it. "You're lucky. You can be yourself cause everybody already knows." Marco said he wasn't always lucky about it.

"Everyone always put me on a pedestal when I was little. More than a prince, like I was some god. I'm glad it didn't go to my head, but when there were other kids here to visit, I never knew if they actually liked me for me, my status or being a phoenix. It was sad. I know suppressing it and hiding it would have felt worse. Especially since you were unable to use them for so long after hiding them."

Ace nodded, saying he didn't want to lose them again. "I don't put you on a pedestal. I wanted to meet you cause you were a phoenix, but that's not the only reason I love you." Marco smiled and pushed a strand of hair out of his face. He knew that. He knew Ace loved him for him. And Marco wished he didn't need to hide it.

Then he sighed and said something that put a lance through Marco's heart. "I feel like I have to hide everything important to me. Being who and what I am, who I love, my own personality. Everything isn't mine anymore." Marco bit his lip, feeling so guilty. It was Marco making him hide these things. All for Marco's sake. He was the one that didn't want Ace to be a phoenix here. Shut that life down the moment he stepped inside the palace. Had to hide his relationship with Marco because he didn't want his family to know.

It was for Ace's sake, too, of course. But it was Marco's doing. Marco asked if he really hated it here. He had no other option he could think of. Even having Marco stay at his home, it would still be dangerous for both of them, now.

Ace started to cry, trying to hold it in. "Being here just makes me realize I can never fully be with you. I'm nothing like you guys. Nobody knows. I want people to know that I love you, but I can't. I just want to hold your hand or hug, and I can't even do that. You have to sneak to come see me without it being suspicious."

Marco hugged him, his own tears of guilt coming down his face. He worried that this would drive Ace away, until he spoke again, still crying into Marco's shoulder. "I just want to love you without being afraid."

"I'm so sorry, Ace. I didn't know it hurt you so much. You've told me you were okay with it," Marco said. And Ace had, multiple times. He said he wanted to enjoy things for now, no matter what happened.

"That was before I thought of you as my soulmate," he mumbled. "I know it's not good, to be clingy and annoying. Be a bother to everybody. I love you too much." There it was. The real sign of what Ace's home life had done to him. He felt unworthy of Marco's love, unworthy of any care by anybody.

"I just want to be beside you in life. And it makes me sad that that will never happen. You'll need to get rid of me someday, I'm just afraid of when that will happen, sooner or later," he whispered. Spade rubbed his head against Ace's leg, but he didn't seem to notice it. He was lost in his own misery.

Marco pulled him away and tipped his chin up. "You deserve all the love in the world. You don't love me too much, I promise. You aren't annoying or clingy. You've been patient, waiting for when it's a good time for me. It's not fair to you. I'm sorry, I want to give you all of me. I'm scared, too. Scared you'll give up on the stress I bring you. Scared my family will find out and reject you, hurting you beyond belief."

Ace looked down, and mumbled, "I don't want to come between you and your family. I don't want to ruin your reputation. I don't care if I'm not a prince, I don't care if the public doesn't know. I just… I don't know. I just want to be with you and not have to hide it from important people. I do understand why we have to do it like this, but it doesn't mean I like it," he finished, face red in shame.

He started to shiver, getting really cold. Marco wondered if it reacted to his emotions. Ace cursed and curled into a ball, trying to get warm. It was unfortunate that his own power made him cold. Once he could control it, hopefully things would get better. Marco took his hands in his, rubbing his thumb over his gloved knuckles. "I couldn't ask for anybody better, Ace. It's not right for it to be like this. But we _can_ do it, even if it's not in front of my family. Nami and Vivi have done it for years."

Ace looked down and said, "But they're supposed to be around each other. Nami is her handmaiden. I'm not in any position where I can be with you much of the day." Marco knew that was true. In a way, Vivi was luckier than he was. Nami had grown up with her, had always been around her. They were together much of the day.

Marco's love didn't live with him. He had to go away to see him. Ace had to wait for him, he was never able to fly to Marco's home. Marco wished, for the first time in awhile, that he wasn't a prince. That he could live normally with Ace. Have his family not shun him. Have it be normal and not have to be a secret.

But, there was nothing he could do about that. The situation was what it was. Marco loved Ace deeply, but he could never disappear from his family. He loved them, too. But he refused to have to choose one over the other. He would have _both,_ damnit, no matter how he accomplished that.

"If you could work here, would you?" Marco asked quietly.

Ace looked down. "I would be trapped. I want to be with you, but I also want to be free. I want to be able to fly places, go with Spade back to his home if he wants. Go on rides with Chopper. If I worked here, all of that would be gone," he replied. Marco had had a feeling that would be his answer, and it was completely justified.

He nodded in understanding. But he didn't know what to do to fix this, to make Ace feel better. Marco was selfish and would not give Ace up, even if it made him feel like crap, doing it this way. Ace deserved more than Marco could give him. But he wouldn't ever give Ace up. He was a terrible person.

Ace passed out, his sleep attacks more frequent when he was emotional, and so Marco carried him up the stairs and to his normal couch, laying down on the couch with Ace resting on top of him. Marco was a couple inches taller than Ace, so he fit just fine. Spade was a good dragon and guarded the door. Maybe to protect Ace, maybe to make sure nobody interrupted them.

While Ace slept on him, Marco tried to come up with a plan, how to help his lover. How to help himself. Ace didn't deserve to live with cruel people, no matter if he acted like he didn't care. He did. Or at least he had, and it did cause him problems later in life. Marco just hadn't seen or heard of them yet.

He would do everything to come up with a solution, to make Ace happy. Happy but free at the same time. Nami was used to her job. Ace had been raised to take care of himself, not take care of others. Even if he had cooked and cleaned for his step family for years, he still spit in their food and pissed them off. He still annoyed them, tried to get back at them.

Nami was raised to take care of Vivi, even though the princess took care of her as well when they were alone. This would be hard. Would Pops accept Ace? Maybe he could become more of a godson than an employee. After all, the king had once been very close friends with Ace's father. So, would he _make_ him be a worker?

If not, there was still the problem of hiding things from his family. From everyone in the palace besides Izo and Vivi. He didn't want to hide his love, but he felt he had no choice. He was too cowardly to come clean and just hope for the best. Maybe that's what Ace needed, though.

Marco wasn't brave enough, at least not now. He really was a coward.


	11. Insecurities and Truth

**Otaku_Girl2176: Lots of emotions for baby Ace. But Marco is always there for him, even during the hardest times. Especially in this chapter!**

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**Big developments in this one! Enjoy~**

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Ace slowly brushed Chopper with the horse brush he found in the stables. There was an area for the horses to run around in, which was better than at home. Maybe Chopper wouldn't want to come back to the cramped stables. Well, maybe Ace could build him a paddock in the empty field behind his home.

He wondered what the step monsters were doing. Were they finally going shopping themselves? Had they grown up while Ace was gone? He didn't miss them. But he missed the freedom he felt, going on rides and flights. Eating on the roof secretly with Marco. He was lost in the situation. He wished he could think of something to make it better.

After his little melt down three days ago, he started to hate himself. Being so selfish. Acting like he was the only one upset in the situation. He stopped brushing Chopper and just stared at the woodchip-covered floor. Spade was waiting outside, not spooking the horses. He wondered when Spade would decide Ace wasn't worth it. Worth shackling himself to a human.

He looked down at the gloves, hiding his deadly fingers. He wanted to pet Chopper, but didn't want to risk at all making him sick or even just uncomfortable. The teen didn't resent his dragon, but it was inconvenient.

Thatch kept telling him he could be super strong once he mastered the ice powers. Ace didn't really know when or why he'd use it in offense or defense. He wasn't in the police force, or any military. He wouldn't really fight against anybody. And there hadn't been another sighting of Blackbeard, not in the kingdom, at least, and people were scouring the woods and mountain for him.

Marco was important, of course they'd want to do anything to make sure he was safe. Ace did wish he had a loving family. That his mom and dad were still around. That he had any extended family. Anyone besides the step fuckers. He wanted to go home, but would rather return to an empty home. Rather than have them all still be there.

Maybe then Ace could have the master bedroom and could spend time with Marco indoors instead of always outdoors. Not that it really mattered for him anymore. Even under blankets, it would still be cold with Ace there. Marco used to tell him he was nice and warm. Now he was cold.

Yet he still snuck into Ace's guest bedroom at night and slept with him. It was nice, and Ace did his best to enjoy it. He went back to brushing Chopper until his body got cold again and the horse shuffled a bit. "Sorry, boy," Ace apologized. He wondered if he could ever ride Chopper again without getting cold for him.

Ace put the brush back where it came from and left the stables, Spade getting up to follow him. He suddenly turned into full form and bumped his head into Ace's. He'd gotten better about less forceful head boops. Ace hugged him around the neck. He was warm. Why couldn't Ace be warm anymore? He could tell that it reacted to his emotions. If he was crying, he got colder. Of course he hid that from Marco, not wanting to worry him.

Ace was miserable. The more he saw the palace, how it ran, how important Marco would be, all the meetings he went to, the time he had to spend with princess Vivi, made him feel like a side project. There when Marco needed or wanted him. He never asked Marco to come to him, not wanting to be a bother.

He still loved him and wanted to spend his life with him, but that just didn't look practical. It just seemed like something that would never come true. No matter if both of them wanted it.

The teen and dragon headed to the roof of the palace, Ace holding onto Spade's neck with his legs clamped around his middle, and they landed with a thud. The roof was more than strong enough for Spade's weight, there just wasn't much room for him in his full form.

Ace sighed and clenched his fists when he heard someone shouting at him to come down. One of the guards had seen him. Well, Ace refused. He wanted alone time and whoever this was would leave him alone. Ace didn't even look over the side to see who it was. They got angrier the longer Ace ignored him, finally making pebbles of ice that he stuck in his ears like earplugs.

It wasn't comfortable because it made his ears cold, but it let him ignore everyone. If he really had to come down, Marco would come get him. Though he might not come down even then. He laid on his back and looked at the clouds passing overhead. Laying on the picnic blanket on the grass of the meadow was much nicer for cloud watching than on the hard stone roof.

_Ace? You okay, baby?_

_I just wanted some alone time to relax. Please don't make me come down._

_I won't, I just want to make sure you're okay._ Ace said he was fine. The ice plugs blocked out most sounds, even with his advanced senses. The shouting seemed to have stopped, so Ace assumed Marco took care of the problem. Ace wanted to fly. He just wanted to sneak off the grounds by himself. But he wasn't stupid and recognized the threat this Blackbeard was. He wished he'd hurry the fuck up and get captured so Ace could leave.

He was thinking a bit about kicking them out of his house, his step family. He just didn't want to go back to them. He didn't know, he just didn't want to go back to how things were. Living alone with Spade would be better than living in the drafty attic, surrounded by abusive shitheads. He turned to Spade, and asked, "Would you ever leave me for good? If I get too annoying, or too clingy, or you just get tired of me?"

Spade blinked at him a few times before he put his head in Ace's lap. Ace felt himself grow cold, and the tears on his face froze. He took a few deep breaths, and whispered a thank you. He got a gruff noise in return. He smiled, feeling the cold fade away. It was going to be winter soon. He'd just make it worse for Marco. He wouldn't be a cool option when it was hot.

Not that Marco did that, made it seem like he was using Ace for his ice power. He had no control, still. He wasn't working on control, either. He should be, but he just didn't have the mental energy for it right now. He felt… sort of like he was melting into a puddle of depression. He wished he could feel better. Marco did his best, and so did his brothers and the king. He should be happy with that, but it only made him feel guilty.

Being the reason their brother and son were hiding something huge from them. Izo knew, but he mostly left Ace alone, probably knowing how upset he'd made Ace when he found out, easily. Marco must have told him, probably gotten mad at him for it.

After a few hours of staring at the sky, Marco flew up and sat next to him. He asked how he was, neither of them seeing the arrow before it shot right through Ace's head in a burst of flames. He froze, but he wasn't in any pain. Someone had tried to kill him, nobody should know about him being a phoenix.

Marco shouted at him to get down, and Ace commanded Spade to get down as well. The three of them peeked their heads over the side, and Ace focused all his senses on anybody who shouldn't be there.

Another arrow whizzed past. He focused his sight from where the arrow had come from and narrowed his eyes. Marco did as well, both of them finding the culprit. Marco said that was Blackbeard. He fit the descriptions, and he was a _creepy_ looking guy. Ace took his gloves off and tried to control his ice.

It was a desperate situation, and the ice listened to him. It gathered in his fingers. Marco asked what he was doing when he sat up and closed one eye, imagining to make his own arrows. He did, and then pulled his arm back, flexing it before he launched it forward with all of the strength he had from being a phoenix.

He heard a scream or fury and pain as Blackbeard's left hand was severed completely. Now he couldn't use any arrows. He was looking at Ace in fury. Suddenly a mass of black came rocketing at him, and he leapt out of the way easily. The black wiped out part of the roof. He turned around and formed another lance.

He put one hand on the roof below him, Marco frantically trying to get home down. He launched the second lance, and Blackbeard dodged, not expecting Ace to freeze the ground rapidly as the frost spread at an alarming pace along the palace walls and the grass, covering all of it in ice.

It reached the edge of the forest across the grounds and crept up Blackbeard's legs and up to his neck. He couldn't move anymore, and shouted angrily. Spade acted, adding more and more layers of ice around the bad guy. He also added spikes surrounding him. Marco had wide eyes. Ace dropped down off of the roof and ran forward.

Marco shot after him, holding him back. Ace was angry and wanted to hurt the man. He caused everyone so much stress, killed Spade's kind, killed Ace and Marco's kind. "No! Don't go near him," Marco said, calling for guards, who came immediately and ran to the criminal, all with their swords out. "You don't need to go anything else. You've done enough."

Then Ace saw his hands leaving cold burn marks on Marco's forearms that he was gripping. He yanked himself away, keeping his hands away. Spade flew back to the roof and came back with the gloves in his hands. He shoved them back on, the world once again safe from his fingers. Marco took his gloved hands, and said, "That was amazing. You protected all three of us." Ace took his hand out of Marco's and touched his forehead. Someone had tried to kill him. Shot an arrow through his head, through his brain. He would have died instantly if he was not a phoenix. He fell to his knees, breathing quickly, hyperventilating.

The prince got down next to him, and rubbed his back, couching him to breathe slowly. It wasn't working for him, and he passed out from a sleep attack, bringing his breathing back to normal. He didn't know Marco picked him up to take inside, murmuring assurances that he was alive and well.

-x-

Marco put Ace in a warm bath, staying in there with him so he didn't fall under the water and drown. He was rubbing circles in his hair. He had taken Ace straight to the bath to warm him up, as his body was getting colder and colder. There was a knock on the door, and he could smell Pops. He quietly told the king he could come inside.

Marco had closed the curtains around the bath the moment before he let the man in. "What happened?" Pops asked in worry. Marco wasn't going to tell him the full truth. It wasn't his secret to tell.

"Blackbeard attempted to shoot an arrow through Ace's head but barely missed. He made a lance out of ice and threw it back, severing his hand and then trapping him in ice. Spade helped out, too." He looked down, face looking like shame. "I couldn't do anything to help."

Whitebeard hummed, and Marco had a feeling he sensed the lie. But he didn't ask, didn't say anything about his suspicions. It made Marco wonder if he already knew everything but had just not said anything. "Well, now that Blackbeard is out, Ace can return home if he wishes."

Marco heard the sounds of cracking come from the bathroom as the water in the tub turned to ice. "We can decide later, once he feels better," Marco said, wanting Pops out of the room. "He's unconscious, so I'll help him out once he's warmed up." The king, thankfully, left and shut the door behind him.

Ace was in his underwear, Marco hadn't fully undressed him. He opened the curtains and saw the entire tub was a block of ice. It had frozen over when Pops had said he could leave. Effectively making it seem like Ace was no longer welcome. Marco was able to dig his hands into the ice and break it apart to have Ace come out. He didn't come out, though. He stayed curled up, shivering violently.

"Baby, c'mon, let's get you warmed up," Marco said gently, pulling Ace out of the remains of the bathwater and dried him off with a fluffy towel. He put his gloves on and got dressed. He wasn't bothered that Marco had put him in the bath.

"I'm sure Pops didn't mean it to sound so cold," Marco said softly, hugging him.

Ace replied, "It's fine. I don't belong here anyways," in a broken voice. Marco winced, his face falling. Ace probably felt he didn't belong anywhere. Not at his house that wasn't a home. Not in a palace where he couldn't be himself. He got up to walk out of the door. Marco didn't know what to say back to him. But he went after him and grabbed his wrist. "You don't have to say anything, Marco."

The prince looked down, feeling hopeless. He tried to stop Ace in his room as he packed his things. "Wait, at least stay the night."

"I just want to go," Ace said in a flat voice. Marco smelled Izo outside of the room, listening. Ace didn't notice. Marco said he didn't want him to leave. "I do. I want things to go back to how they were. I don't belong here. I'm fine with being on the side. I'll get used to it again."

Marco felt tears of hopelessness form in his eyes, but didn't let them fall and hurt Ace more. "Okay, then I'll take you back," Marco said quietly. He didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to help. He was useless. The silence was painful. It felt like his heart was breaking as Marco rode Chopper in the silence, Ace and Spade flying above the path. Ace was too cold to ride Chopper safely now.

When they got back to the house, Ace looked at it with hate. But then the look faded away, and Marco pretended not to notice it. Ace opened the unlocked front door. "I'm back," he said loudly. Loud enough for those in the living room and study to hear. Stelly came out.

"You should have just stayed away. It was better without you," he snapped. Ace didn't reply and just walked up the stairs. When he was out of sight, Marco grew furious.

"You will shut the _fuck_ up. I know about you three physically harming him. I could throw you all in jail. You're walking on fucking thin ice. Do you understand me? If I ever hear that any of you attempted to harm Ace again, you will get jail time, requested by me personally. And I am dead serious," Marco said angrily. The three were looking shocked, their faces white. Marco could get them imprisoned easily. His brothers and father would agree with that, too.

There would be nobody to defend their freedom. Marco stormed up the stairs, finding Ace standing at the top of the stairs, just looking at the desolate attic. Some home this was. Some bedroom. But Ace set his sack down and sat on the crappy, collapsed bed. Marco sat next to his Ace, kissing his cheek. He wanted things to go back to normal, how they were. When Ace was happy.

"Don't listen to them, they're just assholes," he said. Ace said he knew that, and wasn't surprised. He was expecting something like that. Marco had been, too. But he also fully stood by his threat. Ace didn't mention it, and neither did he. They sat for a bit, before Ace said that Marco should get back to the palace. They still had to deal with Blackbeard, who had intense frostbite, but was alive.

"I'm really okay," Ace said. He clearly wasn't. Marco wasn't sure if he should leave him alone or not. He didn't want to push Ace when he wanted to be left alone, but he also didn't want to leave him alone. "Please go. I want to be alone." His voice was choked up, and Marco hugged him tightly.

"I'll bring you food tomorrow morning, okay?" Marco said softly. Ace nodded, thanking him. He told him good luck with dealing with Blackbeard. "We could have died if it weren't for you. You saved us. Nobody will forget that, okay?" Ace nodded. Marco stood and dropped out of the window and flew away, tears in his eyes.

_I don't belong here. I'm fine with being on the side. I'll get used to it again._

Marco couldn't let that claim rest. He couldt let Ace feel that way. Seeing him miserable had been harder than anything he remembered ever happening to him. Hearing him talk like he was absolutely nothing hurt him worse than any wound could. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't hide it and keep Ace feeling like he was just a side project.

He had thought that Ace knew Marco loved him unconditionally. But deep rooted feelings had come to the surface. They were eating Ace alive, and Marco couldn't let that stand. If Pops doesn't approve, Marco would forfeit his position as prince. He would go to live with Ace somewhere, but would still visit his family.

Ace _was_ his soul mate. The only other phoenix he'd met, the only person Marco loved like that. Seven weeks ago, he didn't think he'd feel this way, but he did. Ace was part of his life now, and he couldn't let him still feel how he did.

Marco flew home faster, and followed Vivi's scent, and found her in the library with Nami. She was brushing Vivi's long hair, the princess looking content. Marco was going to ruin that, but he had to come clean. "Marco, how is Ace? It must have been scary with him almost being killed. What's wrong?"

"I have to tell Pops. I can't let Ace feel worthless anymore. I can't let him feel like a side project any longer. I don't know what I'll say about you two, though. It's not my secret to tell, and I don't want to ruin both of your lives." Nami looked sympathetic and sad, no doubt understanding how Ace felt.

Vivi sat up and looked very seriously at Marco. He hoped she wasn't angry. She then sighed, touching Nami's hand that was on her shoulder. "What do you want to do?" Marco asked.

The princess said, "I don't want you to take the blame for this. We'll tell the truth as well. If Nami were in Ace's position, I'd do what you wish to do. If things go wrong, then we're leaving, together. What will _you_ do if things go wrong?" He knew by "wrong" she meant no acceptance, telling them they had to marry.

"I'll refuse and then relinquish my position as future king. I have two other brothers who can be king. I won't abandon Ace, no matter what," Marco said in a firm voice. Vivi asked if he was sincere, as they'd only known each other for seven weeks. "Not all true love has to develop after years."

Vivi smiled and nodded, saying her question was stupid and insensitive. Marco said that he wanted to talk to the king by himself. That there was more to tell that he didn't want anyone but Pops to know. She nodded, and said that she'd be waiting with Nami in the bedroom. "Please tell me what happens as soon as possible." He said he would.

His heart was pounding as he followed the king's scent and entered his large office. He was sitting at his desk. "I got a letter back from Goa. There are others like Ace- what's wrong?" Whitebeard asked in worry, seeing Marco's troubled demeanor and nervous look. The nervous sweat.

"I have something important to tell you, and I want you to not interrupt, okay?" The father was worried, and nodded. He gestured to the couch for Marco to sit on. He did, hunched over with his forearms resting on his knees, hands clasped together. He had to do it. Say it quickly, like ripping off a bandage. Even if ripping off that bandage just made the wound worse.

"I love Ace. We've been in a relationship for seven weeks. I visit him at his house. Vivi agreed to this. She's in a relationship with her handmaiden, Nami. We've been lying and pretending to want to be married. But I want Ace, and she wants Nami," he said. His brows were furrowed as he tried to read the king's expression. He did seem upset.

He asked, "Why did you keep it a secret?"

"You told me I needed to marry a princess, despite me telling you that I'm not interested in women. I wanted to be with Ace, even if it meant deceiving everyone and the kingdom. I wasn't going to tell you. Izo knows, too, but kept the secret for us. I'm only telling you because I can't let Ace feel like a side project anymore. I can't make him feel unwanted and unwelcome.

"No matter what you say, I'm not going to break up with him. Even if it means I relinquish my position of future king," he said in a strong voice. Whitebeard did look surprised by this. The serious look on Marco's face. Challenging him to say Marco couldn't be with Ace. "Thatch or Izo can be king."

His father looked troubled. Marco decided to tell him, then. "Ace is a phoenix, too. We're meant for each other. I won't lose him, Pops. No matter what you say." The king was shocked to hear Ace was also a phoenix. He was silent for a long time, Marco growing increasingly worried, and also his expression hardening until he was glaring.

"I'm sorry for forcing you into this. I'm not happy with you lying to me. You should have talked to me about it long ago." Marco was shocked. "I want my son to be happy. If Vivi can accept this, if it works and both of you are happy, then I understand. You can't force love, and I apologize for making you try." Then he laughed, a short chuckle. "Roger would think this was hilarious. You will need to be convincing to the public, but there's no reason to lie at home."

Marco blinked a couple of times. "Then… you're fine with it?" he asked slowly, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"I'm unhappy that you lied, but I accept and welcome Ace. If he makes you happy, then I welcome him. Plus, I'd like to do something for Roger's child, even if it is just getting him out of an abusive home." Marco ran over and hugged the king before he said he was going to go tell Ace, and zoomed out of the window.

He was laughing, though it sounded weird in his bird voice. Marco put Ace through so much stress when he could have avoided it all from the beginning, if he'd just been honest with Pops. But now, Ace was welcome and didn't need to hide his love for Marco, and he didn't need to hide either. A huge weight was lifted off of his chest.

He reached Ace's house quickly, and then froze. The spire where Ace's "bedroom" was, was crumbled and collapsed. He was confused and landed in it to find the floor was cracked, covered in ice. The entire room had been coated in thick ice, the weight of the roof collapsing the frozen solid walls.

Ace must have been in such emotional agony and turmoil for it to get this bad. The sack was gone. Had he gone somewhere else? But where? Where had he gone in the last two hours? Did he run away? Did he leave Marco without saying a thing? Had he been just a little too late?

 _Ace? Baby, where are you? What happened?_ There was no response, so Marco hurried down stairs and found Stelly whimpering on the floor of the living room, holding a hand that was covered in ice so cold it was letting off mist. Marco hurried over and asked what the hell had happened.

The sister, Mikita or something, said that the attic had frozen over, and when Stelly touched the doorknob, ice attacked him. Marco ran to the kitchen and boiled water before walking over and pouring the hot water over the hand. He screamed but the ice melted to reveal horrible frostbite. His hand might not come out unscathed.

"Get into town and to a doctor immediately," he said, his voice void of compassion or concern. "And don't go into Ace's room." He left and flew off, not giving a shit about Stelly's injury. Who cares if he lost those fingers? He used them to harm Ace.

_Baby, where are you? Please, answer._

Silence. Marco started to panic, not knowing where to go to find him. Had he really disappeared? But then there was a response.

 _My ice went out of control. I shouldn't be around people anymore. You should just forget about me. I don't want to cause anymore trouble._ So, he went somewhere without people, but Spade had clearly gone with him. The only place he could think of was the volcano they found the dragon in the first time.

 _I need to speak to you in person. I'll be there soon. I won't give you up. We'll learn how to control the ice, I swear._ There was no response.

He flew as fast as he could to where he smelled Ace in the air, having been there not long ago. He shouldn't be at the volcano yet, it took too long. He might catch up to him and Spade halfway there. He was as fast as he could.

Ace did make it to the volcano, he didn't catch the teen on the way. He dove through the mouth of the beast and smelled Ace easily, and Spade. He went where he knew Ace was. He was in a huge puddle, water dripping off of him like a fountain. He was becoming ice as it rapidly melted. An endless loop. Marco hurried to him and knelt in the cool water. He put his hand against the back of Ace's head, holding him close.

He was cold, but it wasn't too bad. "I talked to Pops. To Whitebeard. He accepts our relationship and reached out his hand for you to come live with us," he said, getting straight to the point. "I couldn't let you feel forgotten, unwanted or unimportant. I love you too much to continue to put you through that," he said quieter.

Ace didn't believe him at first until Marco pulled out of the hug and gave him a sincere smile. "We can be together, Ace. The kingdom won't know as of now, but you don't have to hide it at the palace. We can stay in the same room without having to sneak. We can hold hands, kiss, hug."

Tears soon joined the pouring water that slowly halted. "B-But, I hurt someone with my ice. And ruined part of the house," Ace stuttered, looking between both of Marco's eyes frantically.

Marco put his forehead against Ace's. "You won't have that happen again, because I won't allow anybody to ever make you feel alone and unwanted ever again. _Never._ I'll spend my whole life making you feel loved." Ace started sobbing, and Marco just gave him physical comfort, threading his fingers through Ace's hair. By then, both of them were covered in sweat from the heat.

Spade hadn't interrupted at all, and was watching from a few yards away, posture relaxed. "And Spade is of course welcome as well. And he doesn't have to be confined to the palace grounds. I didn't have time to see about Blackbeard, I went straight to Pops. And guess what? There are others like you in Goa. Bonded to dragons." Ace looked up suddenly. Marco grinned. "Good news all around, right?"

"I'm scared to hurt somebody," Ace confessed. His hands were still gloved. "I was upset and the whole room iced over."

"Well, I guess you just won't get as much money when you sell it," Marco said with a smile. "As long as you never feel that much despair again, it'll be okay. Besides, frostbite doesn't hurt me, remember?" He tucked a strand of sweaty hair out of his face. "Want to stay here a bit more or go back?"

He'd promised he'd tell Vivi the news after getting it, but he had to go to Ace immediately, he couldn't help it. He had to help him. He wouldn't ever let Ace fall down that well again. He'd always be there to help him out before he fell inside. Always. Ace was the love of his life. Seven weeks, seven years, they both felt the same way.

Now that Marco has true permission to be with him, he saw no end in sight. Marco sat next to him and put his arm around his shoulders, kissing his arm. The arm band was still on, still glowing. Marco felt that it might never stop glowing. Ace took a breath and said, "I'm not going to sell the house. In case I ever need to get away to go somewhere.

"But I'm evicting the assholes," he said firmly. Marco smiled and said he found no problem in that. They could go on short vacations to Ace's house, or just go there to be alone. Flying back and forth from the palace wouldn't take long. The younger leaned his head on Marco's shoulder and sighed.

"I'm sorry that I didn't act on this sooner. When you first felt forgettable," Marco apologized. Ace replied that it wouldn't have been fair for him to demand Marco risk everything. He'd only known Ace for seven weeks. "That feels like a lifetime with you." Ace blushed and gave a tiny smile.

After a good two hours, Ace said he thought he wasn't icing anymore, only sweating. They stood up, and Marco pulled Ace over to plant a soft kiss on his lips. Ace smiled shyly. Marco thought he was adorable when he got shy at random times. Not every show of affection brought out a blush, so when he got one, he felt rewarded.

When the two of them changed into phoenix forms, Spade got ready to fly, too, and the three of them flew back to Ace's house. The smallest of the three rested on top of Marco as he flew, the weight of another fire bird being next to nothing. Marco liked flying like this, having missed flying in general after being bound to the palace.

When they reached the house, both turned back to normal, Ace looking thousand times better than he did when Marco left him to go back home and talk to his father about his relationship with Ace, and the future he wanted. When they landed outside the door, Ace walked straight into the house.

Marco waited outside while he talked to his step family, hopefully for one of the last times.

* * *

**Finally the secret is out! Now what will they do??**


	12. Ds

**Otaku_Girl2176: Marco's the best bae. Teach can go fuck himself, yeah. Stupid jerk, ruining a romantic moment and then trying to kill our baby Ace.**

**Shadow22739: Yeah, it's adrenaline that got Ace control. Hopefully he can learn control soon, though it won't be easy. Spade just over here having perfect control and Ace is freezing shit on accident and giving people frostbite lol. Pops would def want his kids happy. Big stuff regarding that later!**

* * *

**We have some fun characters in this chapter! Enjoy~**

* * *

Ace couldn't believe he was so close to self harm only a few hours ago. Then Marco showed up and told him the good - great! - news. The king accepted him? What had Marco said to convince him? After all, his lover had thought there was no way they could stay together if they were found out. That mentality rubbed off on Ace, but was much more severe for him, it seemed.

He opened the front door and found Alvida was there, but he couldn't smell the other two. They were probably in town for Stelly's injury. When he touched the door knob, he'd been frozen, too. It made Ace wonder if his ice wasn't just ice, but living and spreading to other things and people it touched.

Spade was on his shoulder. Alvida jerked away from Ace, looking terrified. That look was secretly satisfying. "I'm moving into the palace. The king was close friends with dad once, so they're welcoming me. You are to move out of this place. I'm evicting you all," Ace said, getting straight to the point. He couldn't tell which thing pissed the woman off more. Knowing that Roger had had connections to the royal family all this time or the news that Ace would be removing his step family from their home. _His_ home, not theirs. He still had the will in his sack that he had given to Marco to hold outside.

"B-But- why?! If you're moving into the palace, why are you saying you'll evict us?!" she demanded. Ace sat on the couch and replied honestly.

"Because I hate you. You've abused me for eight years. Did you think I could ever forget that? This isn't your house, it's mine and I'm telling you to leave," Ace replied bluntly, staring at the woman with a hard gaze. His ice powers didn't act up despite his feelings of deep seeded hate. "Since the tower and attic were damaged, I'll have that fixed before you leave. That gives you time to find somewhere else to live. You're lucky that I'm that considerate," he finished.

He stood up, and Alvida backed away. She was afraid of him after the ice incident, which made sense. He walked upstairs, careful of the brittle floorboards. Spade stayed on his shoulder to not cause more trouble by putting any weight on the floor. He collected everything he owned besides the furniture. He then went back downstairs and took all of the portraits of his real family off of the walls to take with him.

Marco had already gotten Chopper and hooked up a wagon to his saddle that Ace rarely used. He put the things in the wagon, and Marco said that they could have the house fixed up in a week. Ace smiled and called, "Hear that? You got a week to find someplace else! I'll be back tomorrow." He heard Alvida rip up something made of fabric in anger.

Ace beamed, sitting on the saddle, any coldness dulled through the leather so the horse was not uncomfortable. Spade was running beside them, racing Chopper, it seemed, as Chopper got faster the faster Spade got. Marco was sitting behind him, arms wrapped around his waist.

"Are you sure this is okay? Me living with you?" Ace asked, voice uncertain.

"I'm positive. Besides, Pops wanted you to stay in some way. I just didn't want you to have to work and lose any freedom," Marco said. He put his jaw on Ace's shoulder. "Everyone will be happy you make me happy. And Vivi and Nami get to be together, too. Even if we have to pretend for the public, we don't have to at home." Ace nodded with a small sigh of relief. Marco heard this and rubbed his hands up and down Ace's chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He was thinking of something, an idea that popped into his head. Marco could tell something was on his mind, and asked what he was thinking about. Ace gripped the reigns a little tighter, his gloved hands protecting Chopper from the cold. "I want to learn to control my ice. And how to fight. I don't want to be a guard or anything, but it'll give me something to do."

He worried it was a terrible idea. He'd waste somebody's time learning how to fight but then never using it. "That sounds fun. I don't see why you couldn't," Marco said, his head still resting on Ace's shoulder. The horse and dragon had entered their max speed and were zooming down the road at an amazing pace.

They'd make it to the palace in less than half an hour, the usual amount of time it took to get there. "I was thinking… it's stupid, but if my ice can spread by accident, then it could be helpful if I can do it on purpose. I'd be afraid of carrying a sword around. So I can just make a sword when I want, and use that," Ace said, worried his idea sounded stupid.

The big and warm hands continued to rub lazy circles on Ace's chest. It felt really nice. It relaxed him more. "I think that's a good idea. Spade learned how to make objects out of ice, who says you can't, too? And you'd have an awesome sword," Marco encouraged.

When they neared the palace, Ace's senses went wild, alerting him to danger. Spade suddenly stopped, too, and Ace made Chopper stop as well. The dragon was nervous, pacing back and forth, but Ace didn't know what the problem was. What could make him so nervous. "Baby?" Marco questioned.

"There's something here, dangerous," Ace said. Marco flew up to an aerial view. When he came back down, he was smiling and said other dragons and bonded humans were there. He said they'd sent back a letter, but apparently had come themselves. He assured Ace that they wouldn't be stupid enough to kill anybody on the palace grounds. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I saw the humans talking to the guards. I'm sure they're here to be peaceful. If you want, we can go around the back," Marco said kindly. Ace said he would be brave, and he directed Chopper forward again, Spade following warily, on guard.

When they came into view, the three saw that two of the three dragons were very large, larger than Spade by far. They were napping it seemed, in the huge grassy field in front of the palace. Two men were with the guards, and the king was out now as well, shaking their hands. Ace could hear them speaking on friendly terms, wanting to meet Ace and his dragon.

One of the men was older, another younger but still an adult, and a kid who could only be a few years younger than Ace. The dragon next to him was red and resting on his head, very tiny. The other two dragons were blue and green. Spade was pitch black. They each had wide wings, but one of them had no front legs, and was resting its upper body on the claws of its wings.

Chopper was scared, so Marco offered to take him to the stables while Ace went to see the other dragon riders. They had to be, since the dragons had saddles on. Spade was still in his largest form, probably because he was uneasy. But he was also much smaller than the other two dragons. Ace walked towards them, and the teen came running to him.

"You're like my age! I'm Luffy, let's be friends! This is Boshi," he said, and the dragon crawled down his arm and into his hand out in front of Ace. He was speechless, and Spade got irate when he went to pet the other dragon. "Don't worry, Boshi won't steal Ace!" Luffy insisted. The black dragon still wasn't happy with it, but didn't interfere.

Ace touched Boshi's head, the little curved horns poking out. Ace wondered how old it was. "Boshi is nine," Luffy replied immediately. He asked how old Spade was, and Ace said he wasn't sure, but thought he was still a baby. Based on the intact egg he found.

The older teen asked, "Does… Boshi have any abilities?"

"Yeah! He can make plants grow. C'mon Boshi, let's show them," Luffy encouraged. Boshi got bigger until he was a little smaller than Spade and he and Luffy made the grass grow longer beneath them, sprouting flowers and bushes. They stopped when little trees started to grow. Ace thought it was amazing. He looked down at his gloved hands with a frown. His ability was so destructive. And dangerous. "What's yours?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Ice. But I can't control it and it can hurt other people. That's why I have to wear gloves." Luffy beamed and said it was supposed to be hard like that. Ace looked confused and asked what he meant. Boshi was in front of Spade, who was uneasy, clearly trying to be friends by making him berry bushes to eat from.

Luffy answered, "When Boshi first bit me when he was a baby, everything I touched had plants grow out of it! Even people, so I had to wear gloves, too. But once Boshi was better at it and used it more, it got easier for me. I still had to work on it and practice, but I got there eventually." The other two men were still speaking with Whitebeard.

Marco was back, and introduced himself to Luffy with a smile. "Ah, you're the prince!" the kid said enthusiastically. Marco nodded, but said Luffy could call him by his first name without the title while he was there. Ace looked to the side to see somehow, in the last two minutes, Spade and Boshi had become friends and were both eating berries happily.

Ace wished he could make friends that quickly. Well, he didn't have any friends. He just realized that. He had Marco and now he would be friendly with his family. But outside of Marco, he had no relationship, friendship or family wise. He pushed those depressing thoughts out of his mind.

The king called Ace over to him, and Ace felt stiff as he walked over, Spade following closely, his faithful bodyguard and dragon. Marco whispered, "Be yourself. You are welcome here." Not close enough to look intimate, but still full of love. Ace nodded and took a deep breath, forcing his body to relax.

He was introduced to the two men. Garp and Dragon. One of the humans' names was Dragon, and had a dragon. Ace wondered if there was ever confusion about that. "I'm Ace." He was asked his full name. He didn't know why, but responded honestly. "Portgas D. Ace," he said. Garp, a large and older man nodded, as if affirming something.

Marco asked why the name mattered. "Every dragon rider we know of has a middle initial of 'D'. All three of us and Luffy's old friend have 'D's." Ace frowned, and said his mom and dad both had that, so why didn't they? "Did they ever come into contact with dragons?"

"No… not that I know of."

"Then it wouldn't matter if they never met any." Ace nodded, starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Was there something wrong with him? For this "D" thing? Why didn't mom or dad ever say anything. Well, mom died too early. What about dad? Clearly there was something up with this.

Marco rescued him. "We should get your things to your room. Will you be staying for awhile?" the phoenix asked the guests. The king said they would be staying for a bit to talk to Ace. but that he should go get moved in before getting into anything in depth. Ace nodded, and he and Marco went to the carriage waiting at the stables with Ace's belongings.

"Spade, why don't you keep playing with Boshi?" Ace offered. The dragon moved his weight from one front leg to the other in nervousness. "I have Marco, don't worry." He nodded and brought his attention back to his new friend, who was older than he was. Ace dragged the wagon behind him and inside.

Guards offered to help the prince, but Ace said he wanted to do it. He was more than strong enough to drag this wagon behind him. He and Marco worked to pull it up the stairs, and they got the Ace's room. He stood outside of it, wondering if it would be with Marco. But he had his own bedroom. Though his bed was shared with Vivi and Nami. so he didn't sleep in his bed, out of respect for the princess and her lover.

Vivi came out of the bedroom, looking irate a bit but also happy. "I'm sorry, I went to Ace first. He needed me." She sighed but nodded. Marco then told her she was free to be with Nami. Vivi smiled and said Izo already told her the jist. Thatch was confused, though. The staff was confused.

Marco nodded to Vivi and said he was going to help Ace get situated again. The teen wasn't making eye contact, but felt more welcome now than he had earlier just that day. Marco sat on the bed while Ace restocked his belongings.

"Can I share the room with you?" Marco asked with a smile. Ace gave a small one himself and nodded. The bed was nice and big. Ace sat next to Marco and almost immediately fell asleep. He had been stressed all day and it had been a miracle he didn't pass out on the way to the volcano and back. Marco curled around his lover, running his fingers through his hair.

After Ace woke up, only about fifteen minutes, he went outside again to see Spade and Boshi playing. Boshi was still in tiny form, and had dug holes into the grass, and was playing whack a mole with Spade. Luffy was laughing at the whole thing. Ace smiled, thinking Luffy was a good kid. He was cute.

Thatch came out behind him, and Ace turned around nervously, wondering if he'd be mad Ace had been lying the whole time. Though his brother had been lying too, both of them. If he was upset, it'd be justified. But at least he wasn't the only one, the king hadn't known either. Ace could smell Nami and Vivi on the balcony.

The chef/prince came out and handed Ace a ice cream sunday. It was loaded with tons of sweets, and Ace took it with a smile. "Welcome, here, again! Hopefully this time you'll be happier now that you don't gotta pretend to not like Marco. Or him not like you. We can be friends. If you want," the brother said happily.

Ace nodded, saying he didn't really know how to make friends, but he'd try. Thatch smiled brightly and nodded. They both noticed Luffy staring at the drink, actually drooling. Thatch laughed and asked if he wanted one, too. Luffy nodded vehemently. But then Dragon (the human) told him to not trouble the royal family.

"It's totally fine! It'll be easy as hell to make another batch. Wait here for me," Thatch said, and ran off. Ace smelled Marco watching from the roof, looking at Ace was a lazy smile. He blushed and looked away.

Luffy got his attention again and asked if he wanted to work with him on controlling his powers. Ace bit his lip, and asked how they'd do that safely. "We'll use my powers, too! Dad and Grandpa have powers that wouldn't be very helpful." Ace said he wanted to work with him, as long as it was safe. "Then let's go over there!" Luffy exclaimed, and Ace and their two dragons followed after. He sat on a grassy patch in front of the palace steps.

He put his hands on the grass and grew multiple trees. Ace was trying to not freeze them. He took off his gloves, fingers shaking, and grabbed onto the first tree. The ice spread across it and crumbled it, leaving little chunks of frozen bark. Luffy looked surprised and it worried Ace. "What?"

"That's super powerful!" Ace asked how he was supposed to control it. "Ehhm, just try not to freeze things?" The older teen looked at him with a straight face. Did he think Ace wasn't trying to control it? He was! He just didn't know how! He then scowled at Luffy. He'd gotten his hopes up that somebody would help him.

"That's not helpful at all. It's not like I'm actively trying and wanting to freeze everything I touch," he said in annoyance and frustration. Luffy apologized, looking like a kicked puppy. "What about Garp and Dragon? What are their powers?" Ace asked in a grumpy voice.

 _It'll be okay, baby. Just needs lots of practice and precautions._ Ace looked up to see Marco looking at him from the roof still. He looked dreamy, like watching Ace was the most enjoyable activity. He flushed again and than Luffy got his attention again by replying, "Dad can control wind and grandpa is just super strong. I don't think their powers will help you much." Well, Luffy's hadn't either. "Maybe you could try running out of steam! Doing it too much to your limit."

Ace stood up, thinking that was a good idea. He asked if Luffy knew a place that could be frozen over without hurting anybody or anything. "The beach would be a good place! One that nobody swims at." The phoenix nodded. _Marco, we're gonna go practice on a beach. Will you come?_

 _Of course._ Ace saw Marco fly down from the roof and to the king, who was still speaking with the other two men, while being allowed to touch one of the beasts. He seemed fascinated with them. The two men seemed more than alright with being there, and Ace hadn't caused them much inconvenience to come visit. Marco told the king that he was going with Luffy and Ace to the nearest beach to work on Ace's ice powers. The king okayed this and so did Luffy's family. Ace climbed onto Spade and Luffy on Boshi and then the five took off, Marco in his phoenix form. "Why are you riding Spade?" Luffy asked over the wind. "You don't smell human."

Ace was worried, not knowing if Luffy really was a blabbermouth. Well, he wasn't in this kingdom. He sensed the mood and said he wouldn't tell anybody. So Ace shifted and flew alongside Marco and the dragons, the smallest of the four of them. "You're so cute and fluffy!"

The red phoenix made an annoyed sound of displeasure. It didn't take too long to land at the beach Marco had led them to. The two phoenix shifted and landed while the two dragons did as well. Boshi ran into the surf and splashed around, even if the water should be freezing at that time of year.

"So, what do I do?" Ace wondered. Marco suggested seeing how far his ice could spread by freezing the water. Ace nodded and took his gloves off, kneeling in the sand and putting his hands in the water. Immediately ice shot out of his hands and spread the surface as far as they could see.

To see how far it had gone, Ace flew up high above the water. At least a 100 meter radius. Only the water had frozen, not the cliffs or sand on the shore. He landed lightly and told them how far it had frozen. "Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. Marco walked along the shore and found a large amount of big rocks.

"Ace, come freeze the rocks. See how frozen you can make each one and try to lessen and lessen the intensity," Marco explained, both other people coming over while the dragons were slipping and sliding around the ice happily. Ace walked to the place Marco was pointing to, and found a nice amount of rocks to work with.

He slipped his gloves off, and picked up one of the rocks. They were fine in his palm, but the moment his fingers closed around it, it froze with satisfying cracking noises. He opened his palm to show it was completely frozen, and chipped easily. Ace thought this was useless. He wanted to be able to freeze so hard it was unable to break.

He dropped the first stone, which cracked apart when it hit the icy sand. Luffy was skidding around the iced over water hanging onto Boshi's tail while Spade was trying to capture fish through holes in the ice surface. Ace picked up another rock and made himself freeze only the outside, not deep into the inside.

The rock wasn't cracking, but he also couldn't tell if it wouldn't crack just by being a rock in the first place. Maybe they weren't the best to work with. He looked around before seeing some shells and algae in the sand outside of the ice's reach. He picked up a shell and froze it, only this one cracked, too.

Ace huffed in frustration. _It'll take practice, baby._

 _I know. I just wished I could get the hang of it so fast like Spade has,_ Ace replied in a jealous voice. Marco asked Luffy what they lived like in Goa kingdom with the dragons. "We live in a big house like yours, too. Not that big, but big enough for the dragons to hang out in horse sizes. Dragons are worshipped there, so people think we're really cool!" Luffy explained excitedly before falling on the ice and landing on his face with a painful noise.

But he got up and declared he was fine even as his nose bled. But it didn't look broken. When it started to get dark out, the five of them went back to the palace. Apparently they'd be staying the night in a guest house area reserved when other royal families visited. But they were all having dinner together first.

During the meal, Whitebeard officially welcomed Ace to the palace, and said he'd like to get to know him better this time. Nobody said why, not wanting word to spill already. Nami sat at Vivi's side, always quiet when in a group but loud when just with Vivi. Ace was the same in that way, too.

During the dinner, Thatch asked Ace what had happened about his terrible family. Ace looked down and said, "I damaged the house with the ice powers, and told them I was evicting them. I want to get the house fixed up before then so they have some time to try to find somewhere else." He gauged Whitebeard's reaction, but he didn't look upset or in disapproval at all.

"That is little compared to what Roger would have done had he been around and aware of the abuse," he said in a hard voice. Ace was glad he was on his side. "We'll get people out there to fix it up. Are you selling it off?" Ace shook his head, and said he planned to have it as a haven. In case he ever wanted to be alone or ended up out of the palace.

He patted Marco's leg besides him when he said that, and got a rub to his knuckle with a thumb. Ace didn't want Marco to think Ace was changing his mind. He wanted to stay with Marco, even if it wasn't at his own home. It _would_ be nice, to be a couple just the two of them. Acting like normal people. But it wasn't what was going to happen, and he came to terms with this being the best scenario to be with him more freely.

Boshi, Vice, and Supreme, the other dragons under the three Ds, napped outside under a comfortable place under a grove of trees Luffy and Boshi had made. Ace could see them out of the bedroom window. He was in sleep pants but otherwise shirtless, Marco the same. He was really tired for some reason and hit the sack as soon as he walked into the bedroom. Maybe emotional stress from the day's events.

A lot had happened in one day. He turned the lights off, Spade spending the night with Boshi, his clear new friend, and went to bed, Marco automatically curling around him when he laid down next to him. Ace smiled into the pillow. He was so happy, and for the first time in awhile, thought that things might actually work out.


	13. Finally Free

**Shadow22739: Whitebeard is the best dad. Seeing how happy his son was with Ace changed his mind. As long as they hid it, it won't be a problem and everyone ends up happy!**

**Otaku_Girl2176: Ace deserves things to be happy for him after living with those assholes for so long.**

#### Silver_Arkan: lol thank you! I named the dragons after them. Boshi/hat for Luffy, Vice for Vice admiral Garp and Surpeme for revolutionary leader Dragon.

* * *

Ace woke up to a kiss on his jaw. It was soft, probably not meaning to wake him up, but he still smiled and looked at Marco, who was staring at him with such love in his eyes. Also a bit of sadness. Ace asked what was wrong.

"I was just worried when I woke up that everything had been a dream," Marco replied honestly. Ace blushed and smiled. "Wanna go fix up the house?" Ace nodded, but then looked at his gloved hands. He had to sleep in them so he didn't worry about messing anything up. "You don't have to work directly, you can help carry things places, or just observe."

Ace said, "I'm the one that messed it up, I should fix it. But I'm worried I'll make it worse." Marco kissed the back of his hands, the small part visible just above the wrist.

"You don't have to go at it alone anymore. Besides, I doubt even you, handyman, can repair the attic on your own." Ace nodded, agreeing that he'd probably just mess everything up. But, he wanted to be there, be helpful somehow. "You're pretty strong and I'm sure Spade would be more than happy to help out." Ace nodded again, knowing that was true. "Breakfast, first."

Ace was hesitant, not wanting to sound disrespectful or anything, but Marco noticed his demeanor and asked what was wrong. "Can we have a picnic somewhere? Even if it's on the palace grounds?" Marco smiled and said that was fine. They both got changed, separated by a changing curtain, since Ace wasn't comfortable being naked in front of him, without anything on. Underwear wasn't a big deal, and they'd done that before.

After they dressed, Ace followed Marco to the kitchen, where he gathered breakfast foods, the kinds of things he always brought Ace, only a week or so ago. Things went so fast, even from the start, but the last week had been crazy fast.

When they got the basket of food, Marco told Izo they were going to eat on the west lawn in case anybody was wondering. They went out to the lawn and ate on the grass. It was nice. Nice and quiet until Spade came running up behind them and rammed into Ace, knocking him forward.

He sat back up, bewildered and turned to see Spade with wide and shiny eyes. "I didn't go anywhere far, there's no need to be upset," Ace reasoned. He hadn't dropped or ruined any of his food, thankfully. Spade shrunk down and dropped into his lap. If Ace weren't a phoenix, he'd have a huge bruise on his back from that ram.

Ace pet his head while they ate. "So, wanna go help fix up the house and get those assholes out?" Ace asked after standing and stretching. His dragon nodded enthusiastically. Ace smiled. Marco flew and Ace rode Spade back to the palace. He didn't want the visitors to know he was a phoenix, too. So he hid it again.

When they got inside, they found Thatch in an unprincely outfit as well, wanting to help fix up the house. Ace smiled lightly and thanked him. The guards who would be going, too, got on horses while Thatch got on Stefan, the brothers' favorite horse, and Ace got on Spade.

The dragon sprinted a lot faster than the horses and Marco flew to keep up. Ace was sitting right on the base of Spade's neck and back, in front of his wings. He fit perfectly, which was lucky. When they arrived at the house, it was clear the three were still there. Ace sighed, wishing they'd leave already.

Ace got off of Spade, who shrunk to fit on his shoulder just fine, and entered the house through the kitchen door. He saw the crumbled spire and was glad it hadn't rained. He walked into the house and shouted for anyone who was there. Everything was still in place, so it was clear they hadn't moved out.

Well, they had a handful of days left until the roof and attic was repaired and in good condition. Stelly came down the stairs, not the ones leading up to the attic, and glared at the two, including Marco. "We've come with construction workers to fix the house. Have you found a place to go yet?" Ace asked.

Stelly was furious, but said they had a place to go. It was a small apartment in town. Nothing as luxurious as this house. Ace hid a smirk. He was upgrading to the palace while they were downgrading to a small apartment. It seemed Stelly and Mikita would be sharing a room. "I fucking hate you."

"The feeling is returned," Ace replied smoothly. The other two step monsters came out, all very angry with Ace. Alvida looked sad, but Ace couldn't care less. The workers and guards arrived, and got to work immediately. Ace did help, carrying heavy things. Marco lifted the supplies up in phoenix form, even though the guards protested and said it wasn't princelike.

Thatch did the same, helping Ace move supplies. Ace actually enjoyed it, feeling he was accomplishing something. It was nice, even if carrying the stones was tiring. Ace had to tell Spade to stay small when he seemed to have the urge to go back into the room he'd called home for a bit.

So, being tiny, he did go up into the attic, staying out of the way. Ace hoped he wouldn't miss this place too much. He wouldn't be staying there, though Ace would leave the attic window open in case the dragon ever wanted some privacy in a warm and enclosed place. Ace picked fruit and vegetables for him, Marco and Thatch for lunch.

"These idiots can't function by themselves. The plants are already dying," Ace complained, picking up one of the squishy pumpkins. Thatch laughed and Marco sighed. Thatch asked if he had been like their caretaker the whole time. "More like a slave-mother. Until right before I met Marco. But that was when I decided to stop doing everything for them. I was sometimes mouthy, but that was when they could still physically injure me."

Marco scowled deeply, and Ace patted his leg. "I'm fine now." Ace saw movement in the window, and watched as Thatch gave a furious look to Stelly in the window. He looked startled. They seemed to hate the step monsters more than Ace did. At least, right now. Ace wasn't feeling so hateful, being around people who liked and even loved him.

He hated what they did to his childhood, and the scars of their treatment no doubt left, however severe that might be under the surface, but he felt hope. That he could live happily. Spade flew down and landed on Ace's head. Since he was so little right now, Ace gave him a peach to eat. He wouldn't be full at all, but it would be a sweet snack.

Marco and Thatch were away a bit after the snacks were finished, and Ace was sitting on the stone bench in the front yard, looking up at the house, wondering what his parents would think of everything. He wondered about it a lot, but never let himself think too much about it or it might start to bother him.

Ace looked down at his sleeve, no longer wearing a belt around his glowing mark as long as he had a shirt that covered it. It hadn't once dimmed, even though Spade's had. He didn't ask, but did notice that he hadn't seen any marks, glowing or otherwise, on Luffy. Maybe he was bitten someplace other than his arm, he didn't know.

He was afraid to ask and find out it was only him. That he was the weird one. "Spade, do you like living at the castle?" Ace wondered. He didn't understand the look the dragon gave Ace, as there was no nod or head shake. He just stared up at him, so he didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

It was quiet out front, as the spire was at the back of the home. He only heard the sound of hammering wood, though it was dull and the breeze and birds covered it alright. He felt more relaxed in the forested area than the palace grounds, but the warm feeling he got from Marco overruled that feeling.

He turned to see Alvida walking up to him, a sad frown on. Ace hadn't seen that look before. She didn't sit next to him, and he stared at her blankly before asking what she wanted. "Please don't make us leave. This is our home, too," she said, shocking and then angering Ace.

"This is my mom and dad's home. This is not yours. It never has and never will be. You're going to leave. I don't care if you end up on the streets and homeless," he said coldly. "You did your best to ruin me, make me feel unloved and worthless. And I won't _ever_ forgive you for that. You ask me to stay again and I'll make you leave the minute the words leave your mouth."

His voice was ice cold and furious. Spade picked up on the feeling, clearly, and let out a loud growl, even in small form. Alvida looked shocked and then furious. If she had a club, and was an idiot, Ace knew she'd hit him with it. He could hear and smell Marco watching from around the corner.

_Good for standing your ground, Ace._

_...Thanks._ He was glad Marco didn't look down on him for sounding so cruel. The woman stomped away, and Ace sighed and stood up, rubbing Spade's head with his thumb. The rest of the day went by quickly, and Ace spent most of it outside, even when he wasn't helping out with the repairs.

Once it was dinner time, the crew and palace guards went back to the palace with the three young men for dinner. When they got there, they found all of the other three dragons in full size, napping on the vast expanse of grass. Everyone but Ace and Marco looked uneasy about their presence, even though they were doing nothing but sleeping. Spade hurried off to curl up with Boshi, now his full size.

They found Luffy and Garp at the dinner table, waiting to be served. Luffy was trying to make paper airplanes out of napkins and Garp was reading the newspaper. Luffy looked up excitedly when Ace sat next to him. He asked where he was all day. "Getting my house fixed up. I froze the attic and it was ruined by accident," Ace explained honestly.

Garp said, "Luffy ruined two of our houses with his power." Luffy laughed and said it was funny. "It was not funny!" Luffy just laughed again. He seemed so much younger than 14 years old, only three years younger than Ace was. Well, they must have led very different lives. Dragon seemed like a colder man, but he didn't seem abusive like Ace's guardian had been.

At dinner, Ace was finally asked if the other dragon riders had glowing marks. They all agreed, and all of them were under their clothes. Luffy pulled off his shoe and stuck his foot in the air to show he had his on the sole of his right foot. Ace felt a bit better knowing he was "normal" with them. A group of very abnormal humans.

After dinner, Ace went onto the roof, but passed out on it. When Marco tried getting a hold of him, he didn't answer, so the prince got worried and flew up to him. When he saw him out cold on the hard roof, he brought him to bed.

-x-

Marco laid next to Ace while he napped, running his fingers through his soft hair. Spade had climbed in through the open window and was on his dog bed. Apparently he thought it was bed time soon. Marco thought it was endearing, how much Spade adored Ace, even when the dragon _could_ sometimes be annoying.

Ace woke up about half an hour after Marco assumed he passed out, meaning he'd been very tired since the episode had lasted this long. He woke up and turned to see Marco next to him. "You fell asleep on the roof so I brought you to bed," the blonde explained quietly. Ace turned and wrapped his arms around Marco with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Marco wondered. Ace shook his head and said he was happy. Marco smiled and hugged him back. "I'm happy, too. That you are staying. You could have always kicked them out and stayed at home by yourself."

"I don't want to be alone anymore," Ace said quietly. Marco frowned, truly feeling for him, for the childhood he'd had. Alone while being around terrible people. Marco wanted to put Alvida in jail for child abuse so badly.

"You won't be alone with me. I promise. If you ever feel alone, please tell me, okay?" Ace smiled and nodded, putting his face in Marco's chest and sighing happily. He kissed his collar bone sweetly. "I love you. You're the best thing to ever happen to me," Marco said honestly, voice full of care.

Ace looked surprised, eyes blown wide. Marco smiled reassuringly, showing he was quite serious. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me, too." Spade woke up and seemed to realize that it wasn't bed time, and flew out of the room. Neither phoenix paid much attention to him.

Then he grew uncertain. "You… won't ever get tired of me, right?" he asked in a small voice, showing the insecurities he had. Marco would do everything he could to banish those insecurities. And he knew his family would help, too. Ace made Marco happy, he loved him, so the blonde knew they'd do what they could to make their new family member feel loved and appreciated.

"I'll never get tired of you," Marco vowed. Ace swallowed and nodded, hiding his face in Marco's chest so he didn't see the tears that streamed down his face. Marco just rubbed his hands up and down Ace's back while he did his best to hide his pain, even though Marco could sense it, and felt his heart tugging painfully, knowing his lover was crying.

He fell asleep again, and Marco didn't get up to change into his pajamas so Ace could keep sleeping, not wanting to wake him up. Spade made some noise when he came back, but quieted immediately, and was intelligent enough to turn off the light switch on the wall.

-x-

Ace woke up in a great mood. Better than he had been for the previous few days. Marco was asleep next to him, and Spade was asleep at the end of the bed. If the bed wasn't so big, there was no way Spade could fit in _any_ size with his wings unfurled. This bed was heaven. He'd miss it when-

" _I'll never get tired of you,"_ Marco's voice said firmly in his head. Ace froze and then sighed, sitting up the rest of the way. He looked back down at Marco, studying his face. He didn't think Marco was a liar. He'd always been honest. And he didn't think Marco was messing with him. But how could he know that he'd never get tired of him? Ace's novelty would have to run out some time.

Spade was awake and walked to Ace, staring up at him. Ace could imagine him telling him to stop thinking about sad things. Ace stroked under his chin. "You're a good boy," he said quietly. He stood up and changed clothes, realizing he'd fallen asleep in his day clothes. So had Marco. When he was looking in the mirror, Marco woke up and Ace saw him come up behind him from their reflection.

Marco hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Ace's shoulder. "Mmm, you're warm today," Marco said in a happy voice. Ace blinked a couple times, asking what he meant. After all, Ace was always cold now. Marco took Ace's arm and put his wrist on his cheek. Ace actually was warm.

The blonde took his hand and gently pulled the glove off, intertwining their fingers. Ace's hand stayed warm for a minute before he got nervous, and it turned cold, reacting to his emotions. He put the glove back on hurriedly. Marco kissed his cheek from behind. "Love can go a long way, huh?" he asked sweetly.

Ace looked down and his face turned a bit pink. Marco just smiled, and asked if he wanted to go to breakfast. Ace nodded, and they both changed into new clothes. Ace needed a bath today. He was a bit distracted, looking down at his hands. Was it true? Was it so hard to control, impossible, because he was emotionally broken? Did all he need to do to control his power was to improve his mental health?

But that wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Marco took his hand and kissed the base of it. Then they saw Garp and he immediately let his hand go. Ace sighed, but knew why. _Once they're gone, we can be close everywhere._

_I know._

Garp stopped and then walked to Ace. "You need to get control of yourself for your power." He was a bit late for that, Ace already found that out. Ace nodded, saying he'd work on that. Garp looked at him in almost disapproval, and both Ace and Marco bristled at the look. Maybe he was the kind of guy who thought emotions were useless. Getting upset was useless.

Well, Ace didn't know him much, so he wasn't too offended. Luffy came running down the hall, shouting Ace's name before tripping and slamming down into him, Ace hitting the ground hard, landing on his elbow and snapping his arm. He grunted, but the wound healed.

Marco was frozen in horror, and Garp was shocked. It was exposed that he was a phoenix, it wasn't just Marco. Ace stood up, and glared at Luffy. He flinched at the look, and apologized sincerely.

"You're a phoenix?" Garp asked skeptically, even though he'd seen the injury heal in a flourish of red flames. Ace nodded slowly. "You might be the most powerful person I've ever met, then." Ace's eyebrows raised in surprise. Then the man's stomach rumbled and he said he was hungry, and turned and walked to the dining room.

All day, Ace was distracted with Garp's words. Ace had always been helpless, unable to control or even bring out his phoenix powers. Then they came out, and then he had the dragon bond. Was he really that powerful? He really didn't feel like it.

He didn't go to the house to take part in the repairs that he was told were going by very quickly. Instead, he stayed with the other dragon riders and tried to get control of his powers. Only his surprise and confusion over if he was powerful or not interfered. "Stop thinking so hard," Dragon said when Ace got distracted again. He nodded.

Ace tried freezing things, but not breaking them apart. It didn't work. And he grew very frustrated, which aggravated his abilities more. Dragon, though he seemed like a cold man, not literally, was patient with him. "You have to clear your emotions when you wish to use your powers or they will go out of control."

The phoenix asked if that was how it was with the three of them. Apparently, it wasn't for any of them. Garp and Dragon were rarely upset in the ways Ace got, and Luffy was abnormally happy most times. Ace was embarrassed about it, but said nothing. "Maybe think of something you wish to do with your ice power."

"Like what?" Ace wondered. What would he use his powers for? They were kind of useless in everyday use, especially since he couldn't control them. He froze things too much when he wanted to only create some frost. What could he do with the powers that were useful at all?

"Do you have anything you want to protect? Anybody?" Dragon asked. Luffy was sitting and watching from the sidelines, not a distraction to Ace at all. He was quiet, thankfully.

Marco's face flitted through his mind. He's already protected Marco once, his powers under control that time. When he incapacitated Blackbeard when he appeared outside the palace grounds. That was the only real time he had control over the ice. He looked down at his gloved hands.

He didn't trust them. Not directly. Maybe if he had some sort of buffer. Something to keep his hands from touching something directly. Dragon waited for him to speak patiently, saying nothing. "I have something I want to protect. But, I don't trust my hands directly. Not yet, I just don't trust them."

Dragon suggested what he'd been thinking of. Using something in between his target and his hands. He looked to the side and picked up a thick branch from Luffy's nearest little forest that was mostly frozen and dead. The older man handed Ace the stick.

Ace took off his right hand's glove, and gripped the stick. It froze in his hand. He swore in irritation. Dragon handed him another stick, and Ace tried with his left hand. It was a stupid idea, but it paid off. This one didn't freeze. It was strange, as Ace was right handed. But, at least this worked. "Tap something with it, imagining your ice flowing through the stick without destroying it," the man encouraged, though his voice was still flat. Ace tapped the ground with the stick, and a small circle of ice formed.

So, it was much less powerful through the stick. If he practiced with it, then he might improve. He would still work on controlling it fully with just his hands, but this might work for now. But not with a stick. Maybe with a staff? Or a pole? Or a sword. He wanted to protect Marco. He wanted to have some sort of job. Maybe being a guard wouldn't be so bad, if he learned on the side. Still spent a lot of time with his lover.

He wanted to be useful. And strong. Not just strong in his own body, but strong for somebody else. Marco protected and took care of Ace emotionally all the time. Marco wasn't broken like Ace was, so he couldn't return the favor like that.

This was the only way he could.

After practicing some more, eventually the day was over, and Ace was sad that the three were leaving. Maybe he should have not spent the previous day at his house. He should have spent it with Luffy. He could be annoying, but he was also nice and happy and optimistic, which Ace rarely was unless he was with Marco.

Spade was playing with Boshi, and was sad that his friend would be leaving soon. Ace wished he could get another dragon for Spade, but he knew that was a long shot and would be too much for him to handle _two_ clingy dragons.

For dinner, Ace talked about his training, and Dragon said nothing. He was glad the man didn't point out Ace's little progress in five hours. When he and Marco were going back to bed after an optimistic dinner, even if Ace complained a bit about his slow progress, he didn't tell Marco about his new goal. He didn't know how he'd react.

Spade didn't sleep in there with them like usual, and stayed with Boshi and the other two older dragons. Ace hoped he didn't miss them too much, since their kingdom was very far from this one. Visiting them would take a long time, a long journey. But, Ace wouldn't confine Spade if he wanted to visit his friend.


	14. Engagement Ceremony

**Otaku_Girl2176: The best cinnamon bun boy with his pet dragon and phoenix boyfriend.**

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**Very light off screen smut in this one. Enjoy~**

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The next morning, Ace said goodbye to his fellow Ds. He got a hug from Luffy, and Boshi and Spade bumped foreheads. Garp told Ace he expected him to be strong. Ace didn't know how to react other than to nod. Dragon told him good luck and to keep practicing. That control _would_ come, and to not lose hope.

Ace was very happy they visited, even if it was for a short period of time. When the dragons had their saddles put on and flew off, Spade made a loud roar that Boshi returned before leaving. Ace touched his dragon's shoulder. "You can always visit if you want to make the long journey. I won't hold you back if you wish to see him."

The dragon bumped his head into Ace's shoulder.

The construction of the house was done, and so Marco and Ace flew there. They entered the house to see boxes packed. Good, they were actually leaving. He found the three of them sitting in the living room. The picture of misery was on their faces. Ace took a small amount of joy in it. He glanced at Marco and saw him hide a look of satisfaction.

Alvida looked up at him and scowled. "You got your place ready?" Ace asked, though it didn't really sound like a question. The three didn't seem to care about Marco anymore. They weren't nervous in front of him, mostly angry that he was taking part in their eviction.

"Yes," Mikita said, no hate in her voice, just exhaustion. "We're waiting for the carriage." Ace nodded and went to the kitchen to search the refrigerator, finding some food that he ate so it didn't rot in there once everyone was out.

Marco sat on the lounge chair, and Ace sat on the couch. The room was quiet until they heard noises outside. Ace turned to look out of the window and saw the carriage they were waiting for with a large, wooden trailer at the end. Ace didn't help any of them carry their things out. He just watched with satisfaction.

"You finally got your revenge," Marco said, not a trace of disapproval in his voice. "We'll put a flag in front of the house to deter anybody who might live here when nobody is around. Though we'll still check on it often."

Ace nodded in agreement. It took an hour for the three to get their things out. Not much was actually _theirs._ So much was staying as things that had been in the house before they moved in those many years ago. Ace could imagine his mom feeling like this was home again. If only she hadn't gotten sick, they would have never lived there, and wouldn't have ruined his childhood for fun.

When they got into the carriage, their horse tied to it to walk next to it, they glared at Ace. Spade was visibly happy they were leaving, pacing back and forth excitedly. Ace could tell it apart from worry pacing. Ace smiled smugly at them. Stelly flipped him off, and Ace waved goodbye pleasantly, sarcastically.

Once they were gone, Ace walked back into the house, Spade and Marco following. Ace looked around. His abusers no longer lived in his home. He may live in the palace now, but this house would always be home. He sat on the couch, leaning back and smiling. "You'll never have to see them again," Marco said with a smile. Ace nodded, and took his hand.

Ace looked at the walls, at the paintings and photos. This was home again, and he was so happy. Then he saw something hanging on the wall that he'd never paid attention to before. He stood up and pulled off the broken hilt of a sword. It was heavy, and he decided this would be his sword.

He didn't know the history behind it, or what had happened to break it. But it would be his. Some would think it was useless, but once he had full control over his ice and could use it how he wanted to, he could create an ice blade. It might take awhile, but that's what this would end up as. His own unique sword.

The teen was looking forward to the future. Marco wondered why he stuck it between his hip and belt, and Ace smiled, deciding to tell him. The blue phoenix smiled at the firmness in Ace's voice when he explained.

-x-

"I'm supposed to train him?" Smoker asked, looking at Ace with a skeptical eye. Ace frowned at it. He knew he wasn't exactly tough looking. He had a baby face with his freckles, and wasn't the most muscular man.

Marco nodded, saying he was assigning Ace's lessons to Smoker, since he had trained others before. He said he was training somebody right now. "You'll be training two, then," Marco said in a firm voice. Smoker seemed to realize he was arguing with the prince, and nodded his head respectfully, though he still didn't seem happy about teaching Ace.

But Ace was determined, and wouldn't let himself be bothered by a cranky teacher. He'd dealt with enough abuse to be able to stand someone with a not-so-great attitude. He couldn't use his broken sword yet, or probably anytime soon, so it was in his and Marco's bedroom. They started immediately, Marco wishing Ace good luck.

Ace was glad he wasn't going to stay and watch him fail. He knew Marco wouldn't look down on him, but having one person around was already more than enough. He watched Marco leave before he was brought to the weapons room, detached from the palace and where the guards were housed, as they didn't live within the palace.

"Get a wooden sword. Once you're decent at using that, then we'll move on to a real sword," Smoker said. Then a woman came up, and looked at Ace in confusion. "I'm training him, too. You can help out as training for yourself," the man said to the woman, who said her name was Tashigi. She was clearly a few years older than he was. She picked up a wooden sword, too.

It was terribly boring the first day. All he did was practice swinging the wooden sword up and down, up and down. Over and over and over again. By the end, he was on autopilot and thinking about other things.

_I'm so bored._

_You gotta start out with the basics, baby._

_I know, but it's still boring._

_You can always leave whenever you want._

_I don't want to look bad. He already doesn't like me._

_I'm sure that's not the case. Smoker is a grumpy man, no matter what or who he is dealing with. Try to be patient, okay?_ Ace said he would try, and his head was silent again. While he was swinging it back and forth, he had his gloves on. He didn't want to ruin the sword.

But when he swung it harder and it tapped the ground, the dirt froze beneath where it had touched. Ace pretended it didn't happen, not reacting outwardly. But inside, he was conflicted. On one hand, his plan could work, and he was happy. But on the other hand, he just wanted to learn how to battle and _then_ customize his moves.

"Focus, Ace, don't zone out," Smoker scolded, though he luckily didn't see the small patch of ice on the dirt in front of him. Ace nodded, but then it grew harder to focus when Spade wanted to play, and was whining and gruffing on the lawn in front of him.

"I can't play right now, Spade," Ace said, earning a frown from the dragon. But Smoker said training was over for that night. Ace nodded and put the wooden sword back to the weapons room. He felt disappointed. This would take a long time, probably. He just had to hope he was a fast learner.

For dinner, Marco had packed up food, and wanted to go eat at Ace's house. He was surprised, but it sounded nice. Spending dinner there. They flew there, Spade staying outside. He followed Ace around everywhere. More now that he was at the palace. Ace wished he was comfortable to go other places for longer.

He truly didn't want to cage Spade. Shackle him to Ace. "How did it go today, besides being boring?" Marco wondered while they ate, sitting on the carpet floor of the living room. All the lights were on, and it felt cozy. Ace said there wasn't much to talk about, other than when he froze the ground by accident. But he thought Smoker didn't like him. Marco said Smoker wasn't the friendliest guy, but was talented. A good teacher, even if he wasn't very likable. Ace nodded, and leaned against the back of the couch.

"How was your day?" Ace wondered, crossing his legs and leaning forward, only to grow concerned when Marco gave a small frown. "What's wrong?" he asked in sudden worry. Marco sighed and said that the engagement ceremony was in two days. "I completely forgot about it, after everything that happened," Ace said, surprised by that. It was supposed to happen already.

Marco leaned against the couch, too. "It's not real. You're still with me," Ace assured him. "Whitebeard said it's fine, right?" The blonde nodded and then looked down. Ace took his hand and said, "Even if everyone doesn't know I exist, I'm fine with that, as long as we're together."

The older phoenix still looked sad. "I wish I didn't need to hide it," he said. Ace smiled and said he was just happy they could be together. No matter if nobody knew who Marco actually loved. At least, none of his citizens. "I wish I could marry _you,_ though."

Ace moved to sit next to him, leaning against his shoulder. "I know, it would be nice. But we both know it's not going to happen." Marco asked what he'd suddenly turned into an optimist. "When I finally believed that you love me fully." Marco frowned, and asked if he didn't believe him before. "It's hard to value myself sometimes. But I finally believe you won't abandon me or treat me badly." He looked up and smiled.

Marco turned and took both sides of Ace's face into his hands, leaning forward to kiss him deeply. Ace's hands slid along Marco's shoulders before they went down to his back and then up to the back of his neck. The older stopped kissing him and ran his lips along his jaw before he kissed the underside of it.

The kissing turned into sucking as he left red marks right below the neckline of his shirt, like he had so long ago. Ace was clutching his back, and Marco leaned forward until Ace was underneath him, cautiously wrapped his legs around his back, not really knowing what to do now. He wanted to take the next step with Marco, but hadn't before. And he was sure Marco hadn't either, but he felt he'd be better to be the one leading.

Marco picked Ace up, still wrapped around him and carried him to the couch, laying him down gently. "Are you sure?" Marco asked quietly when Ace started to unbutton his shirt with shaking hands. Ace nodded, but confessed he wasn't sure what or how to do anything. "We'll figure it out together," Marco said with a smile. Ace nodded, not feeling too nervous anymore. Marco would take care of him, he knew that.

-x-

Marco woke up the next morning on the couch in Ace's living room, his partner sleeping on his chest, both of them nude under the blanket. Marco smiled, but didn't move, not wanting to wake him up. Apparently Spade had given them privacy all night, as Marco didn't see him anywhere, and it was a time where he'd still be sleeping.

He stayed still, looking at the sleeping face of Ace. He hoped he enjoyed last night, since Marco knew he did. Ace had trusted him so much to not do anything to make him uncomfortable, and he felt it worked. Ace never once showed an ounce of discomfort or pain, even though it was both of their first times.

The blue phoenix was also very glad nobody came looking for him. Not Thatch or Izo or any guards, or else Ace would have been very uncomfortable and embarrassed. He woke up not too long after Marco did, and snuggled a little closer, not seeming to even notice. Marco ran his hands up Ace's spine beneath the blankets.

He looked up and smiled softly. Marco asked how he felt, if he hurt anywhere. "How could I hurt when you were so gentle?" Ace asked. The blonde was happy with that response. He kissed Ace's cheek, and said he was glad. "Did… did you like last night?" he asked, sounding insecure. But Marco smiled and said he enjoyed it very much. Ace smiled in relief.

He sat up and said he wanted to get dressed. He blushed when Marco watched him dress closely. He laughed about the bright red face of his lover, who didn't stare at Marco, just put his hands over his eyes. Marco grinned in amusement and fondness at Ace's embarrassment, even though they'd done much more than just being nude in front of one another.

After they got dressed, they almost immediately undressed to take a shower together, Marco kissing Ace deeply during it, feeling up his body, though always paying attention to Ace's body language if he was uncomfortable with it and wanted Marco to stop.

Once they were dressed and clean, they found Spade in the living room. "Good boy giving us privacy," Ace praised, rubbing the dragon's head affectionately. They got their things together and flew back to the palace, Ace snuggled on Marco's back as his smaller phoenix form. Spade looked a bit irate, but flew next to them regardless.

When they got back, Marco put the dinnerware away in the kitchen, and then ran into Izo. "Hey, Izo," Marco said. Ace was drinking a glass of water at the counter. Izo asked where he was last night. "At Ace's house." When the younger brother gave Marco a _look,_ the oldest prince gave him a stern one of warning. Izo just chuckled behind his hand about it, making Marco's face turn a bit pink.

Breakfast had already been served, so both of the phoenixes got some fruits and bread and ate by themselves until Vivi came in and sat down across from them. She looked a bit sad. "Did you choose what to wear yet?" she asked, talking about the engagement ceremony. Marco nodded, and said he chose a simple suit, though Izo had been annoyed about that. He wanted to make something fancier.

Ace didn't seem bothered by the conversation, not upset about the engagement ceremony, which Marco was grateful for. Once Ace was done eating, he said he wanted to go work with the sword training, even though it was painfully boring. Marco kissed his cheek and told him "Good luck". Spade went running after Ace, his bowl of raw meat finished completely.

"Are you upset about this?" Vivi asked him once Ace was gone. Marco sighed and said that, as long as it was fake and he could be with Ace, then he couldn't really complain. He did wish he didn't need to get married to her, but there was nothing to do about it. Nothing to change things.

Vivi agreed, and said Nami was upset about it. Marco felt bad for her, and was again glad Ace seemed to be handling it well. He and his future fake wife talked a bit about the ceremony, and Marco was getting more and more bummed about it.

But then he saw and heard Ace saying he was fine with it as long as he got to be with Marco. So he couldn't complain if Ace was okay with it. And Marco was sure this time, he was completely honest. The prince had proven his love to Ace completely, and it was wonderful.

After he left, the housemaids cleaning up his food, he went to find his father. He found Thatch with him, both of them eating what seemed to be some sort of dessert that Thatch no doubt made. When he entered the room, he knocked on the open door to show he was there. "Hello, son. How was sleeping at Ace's last night?" he asked. He wasn't insinuating anything with that, just asking a question.

"Good. It was nice and quiet," Marco replied. Quiet besides all the noises Ace made when they were intimate. He fought a blush at the memory. "So, when will we announce the engagement event? Since everyone is welcomed, once again?" Marco asked. It was the king's choice, when things would happen.

Marco and Vivi were allowed to customize the experience, but neither did. They weren't excited or happy for this, so they didn't put much effort in the planning. Pops was okay with that, understanding why they felt that way. He did feel guilty for needing to force this, he wanted Marco to be with who he loved, but this was how it needed to be.

It was how the royal family worked, how they ruled. Marco wouldn't be crowned king for a couple more years, but would need to be married before then, far before then. And he still had many years until an heir needed to be born. How complicated that would be, as he knew he still wouldn't love Vivi, even if the worst happened and he and Ace split up.

After planning for a bit, Ace spoke to him. _Spade got impatient and growled at Smoker for telling him I'm busy._

Marco hid a snort, though he knew Smoker would be even more sour with Ace, now, even if it wasn't his fault the dragon copped an attitude. Maybe he really was upset for not being in the same room with Ace last night, though they both appreciated the privacy. Having the dragon in there while they made love would have been awkward, even if he slept through it and didn't see anything special about it.

He was brought back to his conversation with Pops when he answered, "We should do it within two days from now." Marco nodded, and asked how it would be announced. "The caller will go to the towns and announce the news. They already knew you were to be engaged with a princess at the ball. But that was long ago, due to certain circumstances. They may have forgotten."

Thatch announced he and all of the cooks would make a ton of desserts, like they had at the ball. When Ace ate a large amount of them. Marco smiled at that, the time before they were together, when Marco still just wanted to know why he passed out in the middle of a muddy field. It felt like a lifetime ago when it was only almost two months.

Things had changed drastically for Marco since then. He'd never been in love before Ace, so things had really been different before he and his lover became a couple. Marco went to tell Vivi the news, and then looked out the palace window wall and saw Ace practicing with the wooden sword, looking bored out of his mind while Tashigi looked determined and serious.

Smoker was sitting behind them, unable to see Ace's expression. Spade was eating something on the grass. It looked like some sort of dead animal. Perhaps he went hunting after being denied play time with Ace.

He went to read a book for a bit, but was purposely at the window where he saw Ace, who was passed out face first on the ground while Tashigi freaked out over it.

Marco got distracted by this and put the book down. "He's alright, he just fell asleep. He has a medical condition that makes his sleep patterns abnormal." Tashigi sighed in relief. Spade was still chewing on his bones of whatever he had completely eaten, clearly sensing Ace was just fine and was not concerned at all. Though he was there to watch, so nobody could hurt Ace if they wanted to.

Ace woke up fairly quickly, and his face was bright red in embarrassment. He picked up the wooden sword and stood. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Tashigi said. Ace just nodded in response, but had zero vigor in his practicing. He decided he was done for the day, and walked away before Smoker could say anything.

Marco followed after Ace, and took his hand. _It's not your fault, baby._

"It's still embarrassing," Ace grumbled in response while he put the wooden sword away. He made sure his gloves were all the way on before Marco took his hand. "I wish I could learn it faster, and not have to go through the boring parts for so long. Tashigi's been training for a long time and still isn't the best."

Marco said, "Everyone learns at their own pace. You might be much faster."

"Or slower."

"You have all the time in the world," Marco replied and kissed his wrist. Ace blushed a bit and smiled. The blonde asked if he wanted to go on a flight. Ace nodded. Spade was following from behind, a huge, bare bone in his mouth, behaving like a dog might. Ace and Marco both turned into phoenixes around a corner and flew off and over the palace grounds.

Marco still loved how Ace looked in his mythical form. He was so cute and small. So much smaller than Marco, and he liked that. He felt he was protecting the younger of the two, even though Ace was strong on his own just fine. They landed on the mountain with the crystal cave and walked inside, holding hands.

Since the space was too small for Spade in a bigger form, he was on Ace's shoulder. They walked in deeper and deeper until they reached the crystal cave, glowing brightly and beautifully. Spade looked around in awe and went to inspect the stones on the walls. "Crystals and so beautiful. I can see why they're on wedding rings," Ace said. Marco nodded, agreeing. They hung out in the bright cave for a while before flying back once the sun started to set.

 _How's the engagement ceremony going?_ Ace questioned as they flew. Marco answered that it would be two days from then, and that it would be announced the next day. It had been put off too long already, they should get it done as soon as possible. When they landed, Ace nodded, holding Marco's hand.

"It really doesn't bother you?" Ace shook his head. Marco smiled in relief, believing Ace was being sincere. He was happy Ace wasn't upset about it, truly. It made everything easier. As long as he had Ace, then being married to Vivi wouldn't be so bad. At least, for now. But they'd worry about that if and when the time came.

-x-

The next day, Ace was sitting at a bench while the kingdom's people arrived to hear the announcement. People were dressed normally. Some looked fancy, but they were the minority. Ace kept a look out for his ex-step family. He did see them, looking down. Spade was on his shoulder and made a snorting sound.

"Think that's funny, huh? Yeah, me too," Ace said, eating his plate of desserts. He was wearing normal clothes as well. Nothing to make him stand out in the crowd. Spade ate some of his chocolate truffle, so Ace got up and got him his own little plate. He scarfed it down happily as Ace people-watched.

A child had a cup of pudding, the chocolate smeared all over her face, and Ace snorted quietly. Spade licked the plate, and the girl looked over just one second after Spade hid behind his head. So, she didn't see him. The dragon was the tiniest Ace had ever seen him. Small enough to cling to his thumb.

He had no doubt Spade would be fine in this form, as he could change size easily and be a vicious dragon the size of the largest of horses. After a bit, some trumpets went off and Ace looked up to the castle balcony. He couldn't see them well, but knew how Marco looked already.

Ace preferred him with less clothes than more. When he'd said that that morning, Marco had blushed brightly and Ace laughed. He also has seen Vivi and she looked very beautiful. He could hear the town crier announcing the couple's engagement. Marco didn't speak. It was weird, it was like they were just up there for display.

While he was thinking and listening, he noticed Stelly had spotted him. Ace was clean, and wearing nice clothes. Not fancy, but nice and clean and undamaged. Ace raised his eyebrows at him. The shit head patted Alvida and gestured to Ace. He was in better shape than they were. He hoped they were miserable. And he was glad Marco didn't look down on him for thinking like that.

They didn't come over, but he was distracted when Thatch brought out a new cart of desserts. "Yo, Ace. How's the food?" he asked cheerily. Ace said it was good, and that Spade especially enjoyed the truffles. Talking to Marco's family, besides the king, felt a little better now. Now that they welcomed him, knew the situation and approved of it, he felt they were easier to get along with. Well, they were never mean towards him, but it was his own feelings that got in the way.

Thatch felt like a friend. It was nice, really nice. "He's so tiny," Thatch said when the dragon came out of Ace's pocket. Ace replied that having him in a bigger size would attract too much attention or create fear. "True. Well, I gotta get back to baking." Ace nodded.

People had seen him talking to the prince, less known than Marco, but that this normal looking teen was on friendly terms with the prince. Now they were staring at him in interest and curiosity. He didn't like the attention from strangers, and stood up. He put both his and Spade's plates back on the table in the stack of used and empty dishes and then walked around the back of the palace.

The moment they rounded the corner, Spade enlarged himself with a loud huff. "Didn't like being tiny, huh?" Ace asked, rubbing his dragon's face affectionately. He shook his head. "At least the truffles seemed like more than they were, right?" He nodded. Ace said he wanted to fly up high to watch from above. "Stay small, okay? Not tiny, but small enough that you can't be easily identified if seen."

He turned into his small red phoenix form and flew up behind the palace and to above the balcony Marco was still standing on. He looked strained, like he was totally forcing this happy look. It wouldn't do for him to not come across as sincere. Ace dropped down with a chirp and landed in the flowerpot on the railing.

Marco immediately cheered up, and neither made a noise as Marco just seemed happier with Ace anywhere near, even if they weren't speaking or touching. The event ended and Vivi and Marco walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed. "My legs are tired," Vivi commented, since they'd been standing for hours. Marco agreed.

Ace flew to him and settled in his lap. Spade got bigger in the corner of the room, and seemed to be pouting and staring at Ace in Marco's lap. Marco snorted and Ace trilled at Spade, who huffed. He really was so possessive to Ace. He didn't hurt others for it, so it was entertaining. Seeing him get flustered was cute.

Vivi went into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable, Nami going in to help her get the heavy parts of the outfit off. Marco carried Ace to their room and changed himself, putting the fire bird on the big bed. By the time he came back out of the bathroom, Ace was in human form.

"Good job," Ace praised. "That must have been incredibly boring." Marco nodded and said that he wished it could be _Ace_ standing next to him up there. The younger's face went red and Marco chuckled, walking over to kiss Ace's cheek. He asked how his lover's time had been. Ace composed himself and managed to fight off the blush. "The desserts were really good. Spade likes truffles, apparently."

The dragon ignored them and flew out of the little window to go on his evening flight before dinner. He came back on the dot when dinner was ready. Thatch had baked fresh bread for them to eat. One of Ace's favorite things about his new living situation was the good, fresh food. His top favorite thing, of course, was Marco.


	15. Slander

**Otaku_Girl2176: The sweetest smut lol.**

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**One more chapter after this one! Enjoy~**

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The next day, Ace was practicing his sword training in secret, way off far from the usual training ground. He was tired. Of Tashigi and Smoker's attitude. He didn't want Marco to think he'd given up, but being glared at the whole time, scrutinized, brought back unpleasant feelings. Of not being good enough, being a bother. So he knew working there, under that stare, would hinder his progress.

He was surprised when he heard some larger footsteps come over to him. He looked up to see the king was walking over. It was early morning, but he knew the man got up before everyone else. Besides the cooks. He even got up before Thatch, who was a very early riser. Ace put the wooden sword down, the tip touching the ground and forming a small circle of ice that the king, thankfully, didn't notice.

"Hello, Ace," Whitebeard said. Ace awkwardly said hello. "Come sit with me?" he asked, though Ace would never dare refuse. He nodded and followed the king to a bench near the closest garden. they had to walk a bit since Ace had been at the edge of the property. They sat down, Ace fiddling with his gloves in discomfort and nervousness.

"I'd like to talk to you about Marco," he said. "What do you think of him?" Ace didn't know what to say, but the king encouraged him to be honest, that he wouldn't laugh. Ace thought for a moment, before deciding to just be completely honest.

"He makes me feel special and cared for. He asks me if I'm okay, tries to make me happy. Nobody tries - tried - to make me happy for a long time. He shows interest and makes sure I know he won't desert me if I'm feeling sad or upset. I know he loves me, I believe him. He would take me to nice places, he'd bring me food every morning because he knew I didn't eat good food when living with my step family.

"He didn't judge me when I was a brat or jerk about my step family," Ace listed. "He always told me he was sorry that he couldn't give me his full love and attention while hiding it. He always felt so guilty and ashamed that he had to hide us."

He paused. "I love him more than I've ever loved anybody else. I don't remember much about my mom, sadly. And my love for both of them is tinged with bitterness, to be honest. That they made me hide what I was until I couldn't even bring the flames out anymore. But even if I disagree with that, I will always love them," Ace finished, and then looked up at the king. He was smiling.

"I'm glad you feel that way about Marco. I've never seen him as happy as he is when he's with you." Ace's face turned a bit red. "You are quite different from your father. I think you take after Rouge more, even if you resemble Roger more than her." Ace frowned, wondering if it was a bad thing. The king noticed this look. "I did not expect you to be a copy of him. It's refreshing, to be honest, that you're different than he was.

"I'm glad Marco told me about both of you. I wish he had told me sooner, but I understand why he didn't. I am sorry that I caused you both stress by seeming unapproachable by him," Whitebeard said sincerely. "I want this place to feel like home for you, so if you ever need something, don't hesitate to ask."

"Anywhere is home with Marco," Ace said before his face turned red and he looked away. It was such a cheesy thing to say! But Whitebeard just smiled, and got up, wishing Ace luck with his practicing. He didn't say anything about Ace not training with Smoker when he was supposed to, which the teen was glad about.

He went back to practicing until his arms ached, and he snuck the wooden sword back into its place and then went to take a bath in the bathroom next to his and Marco's room. Spade followed him, a bone sticking out of his mouth from a hunt.

When Ace put his hand in the dresser drawer to get new clothes for after the bath, Marco opened the door behind him and sounded surprised to see Ace there. "Hey, baby. Where have you been all day?"

"I was practicing with the stupid wooden sword way out on the edge of the property. Sorry for leaving you hanging. I should have said something," Ace replied, sounding guilty. Marco walked over and a smile, wrapping his arms around Ace's waist.

"Just cause you live here with me doesn't mean you're forced to spend every moment with me. You can go out on flights, or to your house, or anywhere you want by yourself," Marco said and leaned down to kiss Ace's forehead. He blushed and smiled. Marco kissed his lips next. Ace said he was on his way to take a bath. "Okay," Marco replied lightly. Ace offered he could come, too, if he wanted.

Marco smiled and followed him to the bathroom. The tub was, of course, big enough for both of them. Hell, Spade could fit fine even if he was in his full form. But he didn't like baths, so he jumped onto the bed to take a nap while they were gone. The two walked to the bathroom and locked the door before undressing and getting inside and turning the faucet on.

Ace dumped a bunch of bubbles inside, cheeks pink from being naked. He'd undressed too early, he should have waited for the water to be full enough to hide his body. When he turned around, Marco wasn't staring, thankfully. He sat down next to him, the tub filled very quickly. Ace was cold, though, sitting naked in the stone tub.

"Maybe we should have waited to undress until the water was higher," Ace said in embarrassment. Marco just smiled and pulled a towel in and draped it over Ace's body. Marco kissed his freckled shoulder and said, "I don't want you to ever feel pressured into anything, okay?" Ace knew what he meant, and smiled, nodding in agreement.

When the water rose higher, up to their chests, Ace got up and walked to the faucet to turn it off, the towel on the side of the large bathtub. He waded back to Marco and sat down on his lap, surprising the older. He looped his arms around Ace's lower back and Ace leaned forward to rest against Marco's chest.

He quickly fell asleep, probably from a well-timed sleep attack. Marco just held him in the warm water, Ace's cheek resting on his lover's shoulder. When he woke up, Marco was still, but had a faint smile on. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep," Ace said, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

"I like it when you sleep on me. You don't have to apologize," Marco assured, rubbing down Ace's spine. The younger smiled and laid his head back on Marco's chest, but didn't fall asleep. They only actually washed themselves once the water turned cold, and not from Ace, even though his gloves were off in the water.

He could control it enough around Marco to not bother him. And this time, it didn't take any effort. Maybe he could control this after all. They dried off and dressed once the tub was draining of the used water, and went to get some dinner. The bath had been long but relaxing.

-x-

Ace rode Chopper into town for the first time in a while, Spade in his saddlebag while doing so. Nobody could see him in town or they'd panic. Or worse, try to kill him. Ace had no doubt Spade would lash out if he felt he was in any danger. Or if Ace was in any danger. His gloves were on tightly and he was wearing normal clothes, though his hair was tied back loosely.

The trip was scheduled in two weeks, but not in the kingdom. It would be at Vivi's kingdom, which meant both she and Nami had to pretend to just be princess and handmaiden. Ace would be going along as an apprentice guard. Smoker wasn't happy with it, but he knew why Ace was going. For the prince's sake, so he couldn't complain. Not even Tashigi was going. Ace was to watch and not do anything to bring attention to himself. Just be there. He probably wouldn't be able to hang out with Marco much, but they could always talk in their heads. Always.

When he got Chopper into the city center, he stopped at the cafe he used to go to when he was getting things for the house and for his step-family. It was his reprieve. He tied his horse up outside and pulled a tiny Spade out of the saddlebag, where he was peeking through the little space between the main part and the closed flap. Spade did as he asked and crawled into his regular bag.

He had some money with him. Not enough that would be suspicious, but enough to buy coffee. But when he walked inside, people were glaring at him. He had no idea why, he hadn't seen these people in months. Not in a long time. He went to the counter and ordered the coffee, paying for it and sitting down.

He sat on a lounge chair, and was still glared at. "Is there a problem?" Ace asked, though not sharply. He waited for an answer, and what he got were narrowed eyes and a newspaper tossed to him. He frowned deeper and looked at the paper. But it wasn't in the real newspaper. It was the one that spun gossip and stories.

He read the second page, looking for anything that would explain these reactions. Then he saw his own face on the page. Luckily, Marco wasn't there and Ace was looking like a normal human. Dusty, but normal. Maybe he'd just been cleaning.

But who would have this photo? Nobody other than the step-family. Then it clicked and he sighed, expecting something akin to slander. He read through it. Apparently he had evicted his family from a house he wasn't living in, and had weaseled his way into the palace under a guise of being the son of one of the king's friends.

He sighed deeply and folded the paper back up. "You honestly believe this?" Ace asked the two women glaring at him. "If this were factual, wouldn't it be in the _real_ newspaper?" They glared at him.

"We talked to Alvida. How you threatened her with a dragon. Nobody believes that part, but you evicted her from the house and now she and her two children live in a one bedroom apartment," she snapped. Ace calmly asked if they had kindly mentioned the physical and emotional abuse they committed while they lived in that house together.

When they were silent, Ace said, "Yeah, I would assume you didn't. After all, when somebody wants to slander another, they don't put anything negative about themselves in it, do they?" He was then asked if he did live in the palace. "I do now, yeah. The king and his family invited me to stay," he replied honestly.

The two women looked disgusted at him. Ace heard an angry gruff from his bag, and he stuck his hand inside and rub under Spade's jaw to let him know things were fine, he didn't need his help. "Would you like the prince to come and tell you the truth?" They grew pale, as if the princes would kill them for reading misinformation.

He got the coffee when it was made and downed it before leaving. The fake newspaper had spread apparently, as more people were glaring at him. He sighed, and Spade made a snarling noise, still watching out the gap. "Calm down, Spade. Don't let them make you angry. We'll go to the source."

Ace did know where Alivda lived, since she smelled strong enough that he could track her through town. He arrived at a dingy apartment complex, and grinned. He couldn't help it. They deserved this. He tied Chopper up. There were already horses in a little stable that Ace assumed were the residents'.

He followed the stench upstairs and knocked on the front door. It opened and Stelly was there, glaring daggers at him. "Yo, step-asshole. Alvida here?" Ace asked lightly. Stelly went to shut the door, but Ace stuck his foot in the way. Anyone else would have had their toes broken. But Ace's healed inside the shoe.

He forced the door open all the way. "You want to bring her here, or I go find her? Though the place seems small enough for her to hear me. I know she's here." He could smell her easily. Stelly finally got Alvida in a small hallway. He looked around, and was satisfied. The place was garbage compared to his home. He should visit with Marco again soon. But at least these idiots weren't dumb enough to return to the house just because Ace wasn't there. Alvida came out and smirked at him in a cruel way.

Ace wasn't bothered. "You realize you slandered the king, too, right? You basically said he's too stupid to realize he's being scammed. Once they hear about it, I'm sure you'll be in more trouble. Plus, you're trying to make _me_ look bad," Ace said casually. Alvida looked shocked and horrified, clearly not having realized it that way.

"You wouldn't tell them-" Ace held up the newspaper about him. He looked at her very seriously. A deep, unsettling stare. Spade picked up on it since some rumbling growls came out of the bag.

"You won't try to ruin my new life. You could go to jail about your physical abuse of me if I reported it," Ace said in a cold voice. Cold and harsh, full of anger and threat. Both of the step-fuckers cringed at that. Stelly wouldn't go to jail, probably because he was underage, but Alvida could be locked up.

He would have the law on his side. Marco had seen the bruises, definitely seen the emotional trauma left by his mistreatment. Ace said, "I'm not gonna let you slander me. I'll set this straight, and then you can get in trouble for lying and fabricating a story that makes the king look bad." The woman was looking regretful and scared.

_Marco?_

_What's up?_

_Alivda put an article in the paper to slander me and make the king look bad. Is there anything you can do to fix it? I don't want everyone thinking bad of_ me _and good of the shit heads._

 _Absolutely. Bring the paper here and we can see what we can do._ Though his words were simple, Ace could feel the anger in them. "I'll be back soon. Might want to clean up the mess before the important people get here," Ace said.

"Why do you want to ruin us?!" Stelly demanded.

Ace gave them a cold look. "Because you did everything you could to ruin _me._ I'm just returning the favor."

"What would your parents think?" Alvida asked. Ace didn't let himself grow angry, not wanting to play into her hands. He knew she was trying to prove that he was some monster, and he wouldn't fall for it. He was a good person. A human being who naturally wanted to return the feelings he'd been bombarded with for 8 years.

He replied, "I don't know what my parents would think. But they're not here, are they?" Alivda bristled. Ace turned around to leave. "See you again soon." And he left, going to Chopper and climbing on. He deposited Spade back into the satchel and rubbed his horse's ears before getting them out of there. He felt bad that he hadn't taken Chopper on any trips lately. He'd go on rides with him more since he was so excited when Ace went to get him that morning.

He had the tabloid paper on his way out and put it in his bag. He let Spade out of the bag to fly above or run next to him. He hadn't been happy cooped up in the bag, but had put up with it. "Good boy, Spade." The dragon gruffed in response, and Ace smiled. It didn't take too long to get back to the palace, where he met Marco in the stables.

Marco took the "news"paper when it was handed to him and read the article with the photo of him. He scowled at it. "I hate them."

"I do, too," Ace replied, and kissed Marco on the cheek. Then he grinned. "I scared 'em pretty bad. It looks like they didn't think they would get in any trouble for this. It's slander, isn't it? Even if it didn't make the king look incompetant," Ace said. Marco nodded, saying it wasn't only unethical, but it was illegal.

"The newspaper creators itself will get in trouble as well. We won't go directly, but have the palace guard go. It would look odd for me to come personally. We'll write a letter or something. I've got to ask Pops about what to do, though," Marco explained. Ace nodded, though he wanted to see his ex-step family's reactions. But he knew Marco was right. He took his hand, and Spade flew off somewhere to probably stretch his wings after a while in a stuffy bag. Marco asked how the rest of the outing went, and Ace told him.

It didn't take long to find Whitebeard and show him the newspaper. He read through it and sighed. He looked at Ace and he wondered what he'd say. "I'm sorry these people continue to cause you trouble, even after cutting ties with them," he said sincerely. It really did seem Whitebeard liked him. It was weird, having people care about him like this.

But he'd be damned if it didn't feel good. Some guards were sent to Alvida's new place, a cease and desist letter going to her and the newspaper directly. They were to pull the story and write the truth. The truth was written on a paper, telling the real story about the way Ace had been treated.

Ace couldn't help but want to watch. He told Marco when he was on his way that he wanted to go and see. He was in phoenix form. _No! What if you get caught?!_

 _I'm too small to be noticed in the sunset. Don't worry._ But Marco was worried. But, Ace safely made it there, peeked through the window to see Alvida hunched over the couch, head in her hands. And then he safely made it back to the palace. He landed on Marco's shoulder. _See? No problem._ "Still. That was foolish." _It's not fair you get to fly as a phoenix when you want to but I can't._

Marco looked at him sadly. Eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive to say." _It's okay. I just wish I could fly around without having to worry about being seen._ "It just feels like a bad idea… But, I'm not your boss or parent. I can't tell you what and what not to do." Ace nuzzled his beak into Marco's neck.

He took the small phoenix and hugged him to his chest. _Maybe I'll just not let anyone know it's me. If they see me, then that's that. It's not like I'm recognizable as a tiny bird._ "I know that's true. Just, please don't get caught." _I won't. Don't worry._ "I will worry. I can't help it." Ace nuzzled him again.

-x-

"They've been fined 300,000 berries for wrongful slander and insulting the royal family," Marco told Ace while he was attempting to cook with Thatch. He had already dropped two eggs just out of nerves. And this kitchen was infinitely better than the one at home. But Thatch was a good guy, patient.

He laughed about the news. "Man, ever since you met Marco they've been in hell. Not that they don't totally deserve it," the chef/prince said in an amused voice. Ace smiled, too. He might be sadistic, but he wanted revenge and he was getting it. Child abuse is worse than what he was doing to them.

They would be going to the wedding in Alabasta in two days. Vivi and Marco were both down when they weren't with Nami or Ace. They didn't want to marry, but knew there was no choice, and they could still be with their loves, even if they had to conceal it for the rest of their lives. Because that's how they all felt. Nami and Vivi considered themselves soul mates just like Ace and Marco.


	16. A New Beginning

**Here we are at the last chapter! I hope everyone is happy with this ending! I might not have a replacement for this chapter so soon, as I'm not sure what to post, a shorter finished one or a longer semi-edited one once that's finished. Enjoy~**

* * *

Marco rode in the carriage while Ace was on Chopper, Spade trotting along beside all the horses. They weren't spooked by the dragon anymore, which was good. Marco wished Ace could ride in the carriage with him, Vivi and Nami. Nami was the handmaiden, so she stayed with Vivi and was not on one of their horses on the way to Alabasta kingdom. His brothers and father were in another carriage. After all, Marco was to be married to Vivi, so it only made sense that they ride together.

He could look out of the window and see Ace on Chopper, holding onto the reign with one hand and stroking his horse at the same time gently with his gloved hands. He was given nicer gloves for their trip. He was going to be going around with Marco's guard, as if he was observing when Marco just wanted him there with him.

They couldn't show any affection the whole time for extra safety. And Ace couldn't use his powers or his phoenix form. He'd make it there so much faster if he flew on his own or with Spade, but he had to act normal, pretend to not be as incredible as he really was.

The windows were a bit tinted, so Vivi and Nami were able to rest against each other and hold hands. Marco was jealous and felt awkward with the situation. When they all stopped for a break, Ace climbed into the carriage to sit with Marco, warning him that he felt like a sleep attack was coming. Usually he couldn't predict them.

But he did indeed fall asleep in Marco's arms. He laid him down gently on the cushion with his head in Marco's lap, who was stroking his hair. Spade was tapping on the window impatiently, so Marco reached over and opened it for him to climb in as a small form and lay down. Vivi and Nami were not afraid of him. Not many in the palace were scared of him anymore.

They didn't touch him or try to, but they knew he wouldn't attack them. He might growl, but it never turned into anything, just a warning to stop whatever they were doing. Like when somebody with a sword in his hand had walked near Ace, Spade growled. Ace had reminded him he was a phoenix and couldn't be hurt by a sword regardless of whether the man would try.

After the short break was over, a now-awake Ace got back on Chopper along with Spade, Marco wishing Ace could stay with him, and the caravan moved on once again. It was too quiet in the carriage, but both Vivi and Nami were sleeping now, so he couldn't speak even if he had something to say.

 _Wanna play I-spy?_ Ace's voice asked, a nice distraction from his irritability about being alone, but he wasn't alone, not really. Ace was always there.

_Sure._

_I-spy something beautiful._

Marco looked out the window, and saw Ace smirking at him. Marco snorted.

 _I-spy something beautiful, too._ Ace grinned. They didn't end up playing I-spy for long, so Marco was sure he only said that for the beautifully executed flirt. Marco managed to open the window a crack and Chopper slowed perfectly so he and Ace could link pinkies, they weren't close enough to hold hands, but this was enough.

Marco ended up falling asleep, not holding pinkies anymore, but still feeling warm and loved. When he woke up, it was to Spade chewing on his ear. He was so tiny that anything else wouldn't have worked. He grabbed his ear and jerked up. Spade fluttered down into his lap. Ace stuck his head in and said it was bathroom break time.

Vivi and Nami looked repulsed, but sighed. There were no portable toilets in the woods. Marco and Ace went to the cliff, and Ace said, "I've never peed over a cliff before." Marco snorted and said he hadn't either. "So, are you excited? Nervous?" Ace asked lightly. Marco looked at him in hurt. "I love you, you love me. A wedding doesn't matter if you don't mean it. I just mean you'll be in front of so many people. Are you nervous?"

Marco kissed Ace's head once they were done, and he said, "I'm nervous I'll stare straight at you while reciting my vows. That would be suspicious." Ace's face looked shocked for a minute before he recovered. Marco could understand the look. He was surprised for a moment just how total Marco's love for him was.

They could easily talk about Marco getting married without either of them seeming to be an ounce worried that the other will have a problem with it. Compared to Nami and Vivi, however… well, the two women weren't doing well. Both looked miserable once the carriage got going again. Nami had red eyes and Vivi was biting her lip. Ace saw from the side and told Marco to say something. "You'll still be together. I won't be a tyrant husband," he said kindly. They nodded, but didn't seem any better. "It'll work out as long as we're vigilant." Vivi took a deep breath and nodded.

"We'll be okay, Nami. We've hidden it for three years, we can hide it for twenty more," the princess said, putting her head against Nami's shoulder. This brought tears to Nami and she started to cry. Ace was watching with sympathetic eyes. Marco was glad neither of them were reacting like that. They were confident in their abilities to hide it and be happy.

Marco really did feel like everything would work out. And spirits were lifted when the woods cleared and they were where they were supposed to be. A kingdom by the ocean. This place welcomed many weddings from all over due to its beauty. Marco didn't care much about it, but he loved seeing Ace's face of awe at the scenery. They were on a ridge above, so they saw everything below easily.

"Stay small, okay?" Ace asked as Marco saw Spade fly away, over the cliff and to the city and beach below. Marco was glad they could trust Spade to stay behaved and out of sight. He was smart, luckily. It would suck to have to deal with a _stupid_ dragon. Marco looked behind them to see the other carriage was still right with them. He looked back to the side to see Chopper was starting to act up.

"Chopper? You okay?" Ace asked. The processions stopped once the horse started pacing back and forth, shaking his head. Marco was getting really uncomfortable with how close to the ledge Chopper was getting. Ace got off and took his head, trying to calm him. "It looks like a bee stung his nose. Oh, shhh, the pain will fade in a minute. How about this?" he asked soothingly and took one of his gloves off.

Marco watched in awe as he tapped Chopper's nose where the sting was. A cold little circle of ice was formed, and Chopper gradually calmed down. "All better?" He patted his horse's cheek softly. He mounted again and the line continued. Ace kept rubbing circles around Chopper's neck. Marco was proud of Ace's quick thinking, and how confident he'd just been. To take his glove off and touch Chopper with it.

He purposely focused the ice at one point. Marco was amazed and impressed with his lover's improvement with his ice powers. Just suddenly, strangely. He was more confident and that translated into control. When they got to the place they'd be staying, Spade met them there. He went into Ace's pouch, who followed the guards. Marco frowned, going to miss him, but turned back to be with Vivi.

He took her hand as Nami trailed behind. Pops went with them, but everything was already arranged, they just needed to cross the Ts and dot the Is. He was sure what Ace was doing was much more interesting than dictating where people would sit. That became a nightmare where Vivi did most of it, but Marco was asked more.

"Vivi will be queen, ask for her input, not mine," he said the third time Vivi was ignored and Marco was the one asked the question.

"Yes, I apologize your highness," the man said, and turned to speak to Vivi. Marco was distracted by the beach setting beyond the stone wall. Multiple kingdoms would be coming. It would be busy and he probably wouldn't be able to see Ace often. He hoped his lover didn't get too bored.

-x-

Ace took Chopper with the rest of the palace horses and put him in the stables, making sure that the bee sting was alright. The ice had melted and now there was only a small bump. It wasn't swollen or red and the horse wasn't looking to be in pain or bothered anymore.

He knew he looked dumb, being ladened with bags. He could carry them all easily, but he didn't exactly look like a strong palace guard. He was following Smoke, who rarely even glanced at Ace.

Spade was moving around in the satchel a lot and Ace told him to sit still or fly away. Ace heard a snuff or indignation. "Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to snap," Ace apologized. "The bags are heavy and I'm bored already."

Smoker turned to him harshly. "You may not _need_ to be a guard, but you committed to it and will focus on this. If you've only come to be around prince Marco, then you can go put his things away with the handmaiden." Ace's face turned red and he huffed, but didn't go off and didn't complain again.

He followed the man further, feeling useless before they set everything up in the guest rooms. They wouldn't be staying in the same place as the royalty. Ace would be sleeping alone for the first time in weeks. He didn't look forward to it. Well, he had Spade, who was behaving and staying still, even though he was looking out of the crack of the bag.

After they set everything up, the three and the other guards found the king and princes and guarded them. Ace didn't get distracted, which was a real feat. He saw Nami sitting on a bench in the garden area, looking very sad. Ace felt for her. She was a lot more upset than Ace was, though. But she'd been with Vivi for years.

Seeing her married off must be hard, even if it wasn't really real. Marco and the princess did not love one another. This situation was the best they could all ask for. Ace hoped things would go smoothly and they could get back home soon, where he could show his true feelings for his lover.

 _How are you?_ Ace asked, though he was still staying focused on the surroundings, keeping his senses armed if anybody came to harm the royal family. He didn't see why anybody would, but it was definitely a needed precaution. How Ace wished he could be considered Marco's "plus one". But he knew it wasn't happening, and so he didn't dwell on it.

The wedding would be the next day, Marco told him. Nice and fast. Ace liked that. _Soon we'll be sleeping together again._ Ace smiled, loving sleeping with Marco, him always being the little spoon, feeling so safe and relaxed. Loved completely.

Spade behaved very well. He even opened and closed the window when he went out at night. The hinges were oiled so they didn't make noise. If he left it open, the room would get cold and uncomfortable for Marco. It wouldn't bother Ace.

The whole day, he and Marco conversed. They were both able to carry on with their tasks as well just fine. When night came, Ace slept with the other guards. The room was packed, but everyone was quiet and slept fine. It smelled bad, but Ace got used to it eventually. Spade was sleeping on the roof, the sturdy and high roof. There was no room for him to sleep inside.

So, in the morning, Spade attacked him with head rubs and nuzzles, it was so cute he missed him. "I won't go anywhere without you, don't worry. But you gotta behave here today. The wedding is happening, and we can't have anything bad happen to it, okay?" Ace asked patiently, stroking his face.

The dragon nodded and shrunk, swooping onto Ace's shoulder. Ace allowed him to crawl under his sleeve and keep flat so he didn't need to be in the bag. He put on the guard outfit, which left a perfect space for Spade to see through the light armor. Ace went to his station, in perfect view of the stage. Ace hoped Marco would be alright. And that Vivi would be fine.

He did wonder where she and nami had gone since he didn't see them at breakfast. They all ate outside, including the royalty. He'd asked Marco internally. _Vivi said she needed the morning to emotionally prepare._ Ace felt even more bad for them. But he knew Vivi wouldn't back out. She was responsible, and wasn't being caught.

There was no other option for a relationship like theirs with others.

-x-

Marco didn't like the white tux much. He was used to other colors. But it would match Vivi's dress, and she'd picked them out. He hadn't seen her that morning, and he couldn't help but feel worry. That something would go wrong. One of them would slip up. Maybe stutter with the vows, freeze and unable to say "I do".

Both of them early on agreed that they'd keep the vows short and sweet. They didn't mean them, so why draw them out? It was their choice of words, nobody could tell them they were wrong or too short.

He saw his family look at him in sadness most of the morning. He was grateful for their sympathy, even though he still didn't want to marry. He was glad they understood his feelings, though. He'd go home and he and Vivi would change nothing about their routines. He did feel bad for the two since they couldn't leave the castle together like Ace and Marco could in their phoenix forms.

When the procession started, Marco walked out first, standing on the stage surrounded by blindingly white flowers and arches. He looked around and saw Ace a bit back, his face red as he stared at Marco. _You look so handsome._

 _You do too, baby._ His face relaxed at hearing and seeing the ease Ace was feeling. Believing completely that this wedding was just for show. Marco waited for the music to start, but it didn't start when it was supposed to. Some were getting impatient, and Marco was just confused. Vivi was never late.

But when he saw Nami missing as well, not with the other helpers for the princess and the princes, he realized it. They had been so depressed in the carriage. Crying and lamenting this event, what was always going to happen.

 _They ditched, didn't they?_ Ace's voice asked, coming to the same conclusion as Marco. The blue phoenix agreed with that statement. And it was confirmed a good twenty minutes after the wedding was supposed to officially start. Marco was getting tired of just standing there in the hot tux. He adjusted the bow a bit, and continued to wait despite already knowing what the problem was.

Finally, someone came out onto stage. "Where is she?" Marco asked. He knew she was gone.

"The princess has left the premise without a word. She took supplies with her on horseback." He didn't say anything about the handmaiden going with her. "Two of the horses are gone." Marco knew they'd never take Chopper. He assumed that Nami left first and then Vivi so they weren't seen leaving together.

The crowd gasped, and Marco couldn't bring himself to look upset or surprised, even if she'd ruined everything. Then he looked at Ace, who was looking at the ground in such sadness. Their fake marriage wouldn't work with any other princess. Marco had no doubt about that. But he had to do something.

"Princess Vivi is in love with somebody else. She has left to be with them," he said honestly. The crowd gasped, and started insulting her as a cheating and terrible woman. Marco put his hand up and everyone fell silent. "We had agreed to that arrangement, so she is not a cheater." The crowd was confused.

Marco locked eyes with Ace. _What are you doing?_ he asked, his voice confused. Marco replied that he was telling the truth for once. "We agreed to this arrangement because I love somebody else, as well. We were to be with our lovers while also doing our duty as king and queen. It seems that plan has been ruined, though." He sighed.

The crowd erupted into varying emotions. Anger, confusion, disbelief. But under that, he heard a few women cheering him on for the decision. Ace was looking shocked and worried. _Do you want to be with me forever?_

_Absolutely. What are you doing?_

_We can be free, too. I have two other brothers. I don't want anybody else but you._ Marco could see the tears in Ace's eyes. Marco took off his bow. "I'm going to be with that person, too. I have two capable and lovable brothers. One of them can be king."

When Marco looked to his family's table, he saw Thatch grinning and clapping loudly. Izo had a hand in front of his small smile. Pops looked resigned, as if he knew this would happen. None of them hated him for the choice. Marco grinned and told Ace they should go. Ace ran from the crowd, nobody noticing.

Marco turned into a phoenix so nobody could follow him. Once they were out of sight, Ace turned into his phoenix form as well. Spade was more than happy to be allowed to be his big size as they headed back to the castle to get their things.

 _Are you sure about this?_ Ace asked, nestled on Marco's back like he enjoyed it.

_Never been more sure of anything in my life. Vivi and Nami did us a favor._

_I love you._

_I love you more._

-x-

A year later, Ace and Marco returned to the kingdom they'd left to go see the rest of the world in a way nobody else could. Spade was loaded with backpacks and supplies, but he was fine with it since he was no longer kept in the castle. Ace and Marco usually slept in trees or caves as phoenixes since it was easier. Spade always slept at the base of the trees. For a guard as well as being unable to be his favorite size in the branches.

Ace, no longer afraid of hurting anybody or anything, had mastered his ice. He was no danger. When they arrived at the castle, they hugged Marco's family. It was Thatch's wedding the next day with Vivi's older sister, Robin. Thatch did apparently come to love her, even if they were _complete_ opposites.

But Robin was always fine with Thatch's frequent immaturity, thinking it was endearing and funny. She was five years older than her soon to be husband. "I'm so happy you ditched. I wouldn't have had this if you stayed," Thatch said, hugging Ace next. He rubbed Spade's head lightly, happy to see him, too.

Ace would go on a ride with Chopper later, who apparently was very fond with Robin. Ace was glad, and had felt guilt for leaving him. But they just couldn't travel the way they did with the sweet horse.

Vivi and Nami had not been found, but Ace and Marco had heard of two women, one with blue hair and the other orange, who were now warriors. They each wielded a sword and lived on their own. The two phoenixes thought that was awesome. Maybe Vivi was never a princess at heart, and Nami had been the only one to know.

But, they didn't come to her sister's wedding. Thatch informed the two that she sent a letter to Robin, though, and the soon to be queen was just happy her sister was happy.

Ace's house was still empty and waiting if he ever came back. Alvida was exiled from the kingdom after slandering both the prince and Ace, since she hadn't learned her lesson. Ace was happy she suffered even more. He still hadn't forgiven them, even if he'd moved on.

Ace and Marco returned to their old room, and flopped onto the bed. "We'll enjoy this for a couple days," Ace said, nuzzling his face into Marco's neck.

"Sounds like a plan, baby," Marco replied, planting a soft kiss on Ace's cheek.

* * *

**Happy ending! I can see Robin being amused with Thatch's immaturity since he's similar to Luffy in that way. Plus I had no other female characters I liked much. There were others, I could have done some from the Dressrosa arc, but I love Robin too much! I hope you enjoyed the ending!**


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